


catastrophically in love (with you)

by theskyisblue, tkreyesevandiaz



Series: drunk in love [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Caring Evan "Buck" Buckley, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Cuddles, Dates, Eddie Diaz Loves Evan "Buck" Buckley, Eddie's an emotional PDA monster, Emotional Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley Loves Eddie Diaz, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hidden Talents, Humor, Literary References & Allusions, M/M, Mild Language, Non-Sexual Intimacy, POV Evan "Buck" Buckley, Self-Indulgent, The Buckley-Diaz family goes on a date, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, You Have Been Warned, also this can be coded as the roast of Eddie Diaz, it's a lot. trust us., playful banter, this is pure romance, this is so cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24245371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theskyisblue/pseuds/theskyisblue, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tkreyesevandiaz/pseuds/tkreyesevandiaz
Summary: “Why is your dad like this?” Buck complained, shoving the notepad away, thoroughly annoyed. Christopher giggled, staring down at the long list of rejected date ideas, struck out in bright red marker. They were currently surrounded by random printouts of ideas off Google, hastily-drafted plans and brochures for various places in LA.Everything sucked.Or,the one where Buck and Christopher take Eddie out on a date.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: drunk in love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740730
Comments: 55
Kudos: 377





	catastrophically in love (with you)

**Author's Note:**

> **tkreyesevandiaz:** I don’t know how to tell you guys about this because it’s _so_ self-indulgent it’s not even funny. Also, my teeth are _gone_ from this fluff. Still, this was a lot of fun to write!
> 
>  **theskyisblue:** It appears that we truly need to have a conversation with our self-control xD Thank you all for the love y’all have given for this series; this one probably broke our brain cells and like Zee, all my teeth have mysteriously fallen out :’) We hope you enjoy! 
> 
> It’s very long because this covers a whole 12 hour period and a little more. These are practically mini novellas so read them when you have the time xD We hope you enjoy the third part of the series :)
> 
> There are no warnings, but mild language and some innuendos. Also, lots of sweetness ;)

The sky was the limit when it came to horrible ideas for dates.

“Dancing?”

“Too cheesy.”

“Walk on the beach?”

“Ew, too many people.”

“Candlelight dinner?” 

A pause, then Christopher and Buck glanced at each other before rejecting the idea in unison. 

“No.”

“Why is your dad like this?” Buck complained, shoving the notepad away, thoroughly annoyed. Christopher giggled, staring down at the long list of rejected date ideas, struck out in bright red marker. They were currently surrounded by random printouts of ideas off Google, hastily-drafted plans and brochures for various places in LA.

Everything sucked. 

The entire table (their “brainstorming board,” according to Christopher) looked like an artistic wreck with bright red lines and black text accentuated with multi-colored marker scribbles. Christopher was busy writing another idea on a small blank square of paper that they hadn’t yet scrawled on, looking deep in thought.

Buck was 100% sure he’d never planned anything out as well he was planning this.

They’d been at this for the past hour, the opportunity presenting itself when Eddie had needed to go out and run some errands. He had left with a kiss to both their foreheads and a promise to come back soon. 

Staring at the retreating back of the man that had shown him implicitly what being truly _loved_ felt like, Buck couldn’t help reminisce back to their first date, when Eddie had quite literally swept him off his feet. It only made him even more determined to reciprocate, to take Eddie out on a date somewhere too, something that would be just as meaningful as their first date.

Buck was sure his heart had completely _melted_ by the time they left the swan boat, encased in a blissful bubble of love. He’d never been the recipient of...any kind of gesture, really, let alone grandeur ones. Eddie had seen right through him, and somehow found exactly what Buck liked, and made sure to move heaven and Earth to show him that he was special.

It was still a little difficult to believe that this little family was his, and that he was worth all the effort, but Eddie made sure that he _knew_. Mostly through affectionate kisses, grounding touches and soft-spoken words of affirmation, knowing that those were what Buck needed at times.

Eddie was the _love of his life_ . It was a _fact_ \- ingrained to the very depths of his soul. And he had to plan the perfect date too, because he was worth _everything_. He deserved to be treated like someone special, too.

Their first date had been beyond amazing, and it was all because Eddie had worked so hard (that man was far too modest for his own good) to plan that day to make it special for the both of them. But now that they were learning to share each other’s lives, there was one person that stood at the vital center of everything they worked towards. 

_Christopher._

Buck knew that they would have plenty of opportunities in the future to go on dates as just the two of them, but when it concerns planning a day that would center around Eddie, it would be a sin not to include Christopher. 

He was also quite aware that his boyfriend went _boneless_ when he saw Buck and Chris together, almost like he didn’t quite know what to do with all this affection. So Buck called in the nine-year-old for reinforcements, and now they were out here planning the entire day together, Buck sneakily taking pictures of Christopher’s adorable thinking expressions to show Eddie later.

“You have to give Daddy flowers, Buck. They’re romantic.” Buck’s eyebrows nearly flew off his face at Christopher’s matter-of-fact tone. 

“And how would you know that?”

“Because I’m smart. Also, Daddy likes flowers,” Chris shrugged, pointing at the lone bouquet sitting on the dining table. Buck was taken aback; he thought that Carla would’ve left them there. Just another surprising tidbit about his boyfriend that Eddie would’ve likely died before revealing.

“You are the best wingman ever, you know that?” Buck ruffled his hair, feeling warm and cozy, spending a lazy day with his favourite person on this planet. “I’m literally out of ideas. I’ve got no idea what to plan.”

Christopher hummed, the space between his eyebrows scrunched up cutely in concentration. But before they could say anything, the doorknob rattled, signalling Eddie’s return. Buck and Christopher froze before throwing themselves into quickly gathering all the papers.

“Hurry!” Christopher hissed, his little arms moving surprisingly fast at stacking the papers wildly while Buck started throwing the markers and pencils into the bucket of art supplies they’d dragged out. They threw the stack of papers into the bin as well and stuck it under the couch. Buck was too busy panicking to notice that the list of ideas was still on the notepad.

 _Fuck_ , Buck thought to himself, ripping it off and quickly stuffing it into his mouth as Eddie’s form came into view, hands laden with grocery bags.

He was sure he looked stupid, wincing at the taste of paper in his mouth and staring at his boyfriend with wide eyes, blinking rapidly to quell the disgusted expression threatening to take over his face. Christopher was busy trying to stifle his giggles next to him as Eddie looked between them weirdly.

“Are you two okay?” Eddie set the bags down and came towards them. Buck’s eyes widened even further, because if Eddie tried to kiss him, he’d know everything.

“Yeah, Dad! We were playing a game where...Buck isn’t allowed to talk,” Chris blurted out. Buck glared down at him, but just shrugged.

"Little miracles," Eddie teased, pushing his son’s hair back from his forehead. So Buck glared at him too, internally dying at the feel of wet paper and the bitter tang of ink. The paper was quickly starting to turn soggy from his saliva, and Buck held back a wince, praying that his gag reflex would stop him from swallowing paper for dinner.

“Uh...okay I have to show you something in the kitchen, hurry up!” Christopher grabbed his dad’s hand and started pushing him out of the living room with an urgency that had Eddie laughing, a hand coming out to steady his son’s back.

The second they were out of view, Buck spat the paper out in his hand, cringing at the horrible, scratchy feeling in his mouth. Admittedly not one of his brightest moments. Quietly slinking into the bathroom, Buck gripped the counter with his free hand, grimacing at his disgusted appearance in the mirror. 

“Ew,” Buck muttered to himself as he rinsed his mouth vigorously in the sink, throwing away the spit-wad of rejected plans into the nearby bin and scrubbing his hands until they were pink.

Next time, he’d shove the offending piece of paper into his _pants_. 

_‘But that might not be so wise either.’_ Buck thought in mild amusement, imagining all the scenarios where he would have to explain why he had paper shoved down his crotch if Eddie decided to get accosted to that area. 

He’ll talk Christopher into trying a Word document next time. Easily deletable and more environmentally-friendly. Not to mention easier on his body, too.

After somewhat ridding his mouth free from everything _paper_ , Buck walked out of the bathroom, hearing panicked voices coming from the kitchen. 

“-do that!” 

“Why not?” 

Eddie had stopped putting away the groceries, instead opting to look at Christopher in utmost confusion at how he seemed to be almost _blocking_ the kitchen doorway with all the determination his little body could muster. There was a resolute gleam in his eyes to stop his dad from wandering any further than where he was right now. Buck grinned when he realized what Christopher was doing, walking up to card a hand through his curls. 

“Please tell me your dad isn’t attempting to cook for us.” Buck playfully stuck out his tongue in mock dismay, the grin on his lips only widening as Christopher giggled, stance relaxing. 

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be talking,” Eddie retorted. “Just for that, you’re not getting _any_ of the potstickers I waited painstakingly in line for.” He narrowed his eyes, hands reaching forward to pull a certain bag towards him, as if removing it from Buck’s line of reach. Buck’s eyes widened. 

“From that new place down the street?” His tone was almost dreamy, mouth already watering as he remembered the first time they tried it out. If not for his boyfriend’s impulse control, he would’ve bought the entire diner. He pouted when Eddie nodded in affirmation, smirking. 

“Guess Chris and I will just have to divvy up your share,” Eddie sighed dismissively, and Buck groaned, looking down at Chris sadly who was only looking on with various stages of amusement. 

“You’ll share with me, won’t you Chris?” Buck pouted exaggeratedly, already knowing the answer when Chris nodded enthusiastically, patting a reassuring hand on his leg. 

“Sharing is caring,” he beamed, and Buck cheered, lifting a hand for an eager high-five. 

“And that’s why you’re my number 1 best friend!”

“Unbelievable. My son has replaced me with the life-sized version of a puppy,” Eddie grumbled, though not looking the least bit upset, judging by the bright grin on his lips that highlighted those _canines_. 

Buck ran a hand through Christopher’s hair one last time before making his way around the dining table, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s waist as his boyfriend sorted through the groceries. Leaning his forehead against his strong shoulder, Buck kissed the soft fabric before tilting his head up, chin digging into the soft flesh. 

“You love me,” Buck murmured, knowing that Eddie would never refute the fact, evident in the way his boyfriend’s smile softened, head tilting back to bump against his gently. 

“I do. More than you know.”

Buck smiled at that, leaning forward to press a kiss against the corner of his lips. “I love you too.” 

Buck leaned back then, eyes catching Christopher’s who only looked on at the two men with happiness dancing in his eyes. It didn’t really matter how many times he saw Christopher’s approval, each time more comforting than the last. He’d always strive to make sure he wasn’t hurting the kid. Eyes lowering to the bags still piled on the kitchen table, an odd package caught his eye. 

“What’s this?” Buck hummed, reaching down to take out what he now could see was a DVD of some sort, eyes brightening when he saw the _XBOX 360_ logo on the upper left hand corner. 

“Oh. The old disk we had of this stopped working a while ago, and it happened to be on sale when I checked today,” Eddie said, his smile widening when Christopher cheered loudly at that. Buck passed over the disk to him, who took it with eager hands. 

“Thank you, dad! We can...play archery!” Christopher was practically vibrating on the spot with excitement, and Buck furrowed his eyebrows at that, intrigued. 

“Archery?” Buck repeated, looking at his boyfriend for further explanation. Eddie placed a warm hand on his lower back, leaning in closer to rest his head against his shoulder.

“Daddy _loves_ the archery game. He gets...10 points! Always!” Christopher quickly explained, eyes shining with pride, and Buck felt his heart melting in adoration. 

“Is that so…” Buck raised an eyebrow at Eddie, asking a silent ‘ _wtf man? How did I not know this?_ ’ and was met with his boyfriend giving him a quick wiggle of his eyebrows that said _‘I’m just full of surprises.’_ The hand on his lower back moved to squeeze his hip, and Buck elbowed Eddie none-so-gently, gesturing to Christopher still in their vicinity. 

Chuckling at the slight pout that made its way onto Eddie’s face, Buck looked at the disk in Christopher’s hands again, then at Eddie’s own barely-concealed excitement. 

And just like that, a light bulb went off in his head. 

* * *

“Are you going to tell me why we’re suddenly in the car at eight in the morning after we just had a twelve hour shift?” Eddie asked dryly, eyes extremely unimpressed as he stared out at the scenery whirring by, the traffic still relatively sane this early in the morning. 

Buck bit his lip to keep from laughing, eyes shifting to the rear view mirror to exchange an amused look with Christopher, who was _wide awake_. 

Which wasn’t exactly a surprise. Since that revelation at dinner the other night, Buck had offered to ‘read Christopher his bedtime story,’ and the two had finished planning the date quietly in Christopher’s bedroom, in hushed voices just in case Eddie decided to check in on them. 

“I don’t know, Eds. Have you thought that, just maybe, it has to do with the bouquet of flowers you were gushing over earlier?” Buck teased, eyes turning to catch Eddie’s reaction, and was well-rewarded with the reddened tint of his cheeks. A steady flush was slowly moving down his neck, reaching an area Buck definitely vowed to explore later. 

It had been difficult, finding a florist that willingly offered pickups that early in the morning, but the lady had been extremely accommodating. Since she lived right above her shop, she was more than happy to have the arrangement ready for pick up earlier, giving Buck her buzzer number to notify her whenever he got there. 

He made sure to give her a _very_ generous tip. 

So began his hectic morning. He’d grabbed much needed coffee and picked up the flowers on his way back from the station to Eddie’s house, having told him to make sure that he and Christopher were ready by eight. Carla had stayed with Chris last night during their shift, so she left as soon as Eddie got home.

Chris was already awake, dressed and watching morning cartoons when Buck got there, flowers and coffee in hand. They were bouncing with excitement as they looked over the well-preserved bouquet. Buck had quickly hid it behind his back as his boyfriend appeared in the living room, freshly showered and looking gorgeous in a thin V-neck sweater with the sleeves pushed to the elbows, well-fitting jeans and a content smile. 

Eddie had flushed happily when Buck brought the flowers out, kissing him lightly for it. Then he’d gushed over the entire premise, smoothing strong fingers gently over the brightly-colored petals.

His own cheeks flushed self-consciously as he remembered the day he went to the shop with Christopher. Eddie had picked up an extra few hours on shift to help out another crew member, which gave Chris and Buck ample opportunity to go hunting. 

_“‘I am dazzled by your charms.’”_

_Both Buck and Christopher startled, turning around from where they were skeptically looking at the multitude of flowers in the display in front of them, phone out with multiple tabs open to research flower meanings._

_The florist had ventured over from her desk in the corner, most likely seeing their apparent dilemma, and offered them a friendly smile._

_She was middle-aged, with a pristine white cap over her frizzly hair, and a violet apron that had the words ‘How’s it Growin’?’ printed in neat cursive, making Christopher giggle beside him. Buck saw the letters on her nametag spell ‘Flora,’ and couldn’t help but feel that it was really quite fitting._

_“I’m sorry?” Buck asked, confused, and Christopher had blinked his big, grey eyes up at Flora, his glasses slightly slipping down his nose at the movement. Flora’s lips were twitching in amusement, lifting a finger to point at the flowers in front of them._

_“You two seemed really immersed in those ranunculuses," Flora pointed out, and Buck realized that they had been standing in front of this particular stand for a while, mainly because the selection had caught their eyes more than the others. Flora stepped closer, and Buck and Christopher moved to give her room instinctively as she picked up some of the flowers to twirl around in between her fingers._

_“I’ve worked here long enough to know when customers are tearing their hair out trying to find the right flowers based on Google symbolisms. But I promise, that there are some things that Google just can’t give the entire picture for. Want some additional insight?” Flora asked kindly, and Buck exchanged a look with Christopher, who smiled excitedly._

_“I’m Christopher, and this is my Buck! May you please help us, Ms. Flora?” Christopher grinned, and Flora raised an eyebrow at how quickly he had discerned her name, before answering him with a grin of her own, winking impishly._

_“Let’s get to work.”_

The bouquet, in the end, had been relatively simple. Filled with a vibrant combination of red ranunculuses and pink zinnias, and adorned with strategically placed green leaves, the flowers seemed to flourish in their newfound vase in the middle of the living room. With Flora’s help, it had taken way less time than it would have if they had simply relied on themselves. 

Buck had already had a general idea of what he wanted to express with the flowers, and with Christopher’s help, they came up with an impressive list of meanings they wanted the flowers to convey. Flora hadn’t even batted an eye at that, patiently suggesting possible flowers and providing every single meaning of mankind that the selection could mean. 

_“Your significant other is going to love the choices you two put together,” Flora smiled softly, carefully wrapping the flowers in the rose pink tissue paper they selected, before wrapping a thicker sheet of craft paper around it, to keep the flowers from drooping. Christopher had opted to look around again during the wrapping process, with Buck keeping a keen eye on him even from a couple feet away._

_“You sound so sure.” Buck bit his lip in contemplation, his fingers drumming anxiously on the countertop. A million questions raced across his mind now, thoughts of what if Eddie didn’t like the colours? Or the types? What if the meaning was too much? So many what-ifs that quickly threw his head in a spin._

_Flora looked up at that to catch his gaze, green eyes shining with an onslaught of emotions that Buck could only fathom to be from the myriad of experiences she’s had during her time as a florist._

_“Buck, right?” Buck nodded, and Flora continued. “I’ve worked here for thirty years. And I can count on my fingers the number of times someone has come in and not headed straight for the red roses, or the other more common choices. Whoever you’re gifting this to, is one lucky soul.” Flora gave him a warm smile, and Buck ducked his head, feeling warmth blossoming in his chest._

_“I’m the lucky one. But thank you.”_

“Where on Earth did you manage to find a florist this early in the morning? And with an impressive selection, nonetheless.” Eddie turned his head to face the backseat, narrowing his eyes suspiciously when Christopher stealthily avoided his gaze. 

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Daddy,” Christopher sang, happily looking out at the world outside the window, and Buck snickered, knowing that Eddie had turned to stare at _him_ now. 

“Christopher and I have been sworn to secrecy. Just appreciate our little sentiment, babe.” Buck turned to wink at the man beside him, but was taken aback at the glistening of tears shining in his eyes, a timid smile on his lips. Buck felt himself starting to panic, and Christopher had started to lean forward in his seat, watching his dad with worried eyes. 

“Eddie? Did you - did you not like them? Because I can get rid of them if you don’t, you don’t have to force yourself - “ 

“ _Evan_. No, it’s not-that’s not why-” Eddie cut himself off, laughing weakly as he blinked rapidly, trying to rid himself of the mist clouding his gaze. Letting go of the steering wheel with his right hand, keeping his left one steady, Buck reached across the center console to squeeze Eddie’s clammy hands in comfort, still alarmed at this turn of events. 

“Daddy? Are you - you okay?” Christopher piped up softly from the backseat, concern dripping in his tone, and Eddie quickly reached back to pat his knee reassuringly. 

“You two have no idea how much I love you both,” he said hoarsely, clearing his throat to mask the lump forming, and Buck only squeezed Eddie’s hands tighter. Fortunately, they had arrived at a red light, allowing Buck to now fully turn towards Eddie. 

“Do you two know what the flowers mean?” Eddie asked quietly, and Buck saw the pure, unadulterated emotion shining in those brown orbs, his lips tipping up in a knowing smile. 

“Yeah. Chris and I made sure to do some _extensive_ research. The florist also threw in some ideas, and provided us with the meanings because Googling was taking too long,” Buck said slowly, watching as Eddie shook his head in astonishment, disbelief lingering in his gaze. 

The light was still stubbornly red - but for once, Buck didn’t mind the delay. He took full advantage of it to lean forward and press a gentle kiss on Eddie’s pliant cheek. 

“Ranunculuses. According to the florist, they mean ‘I have a crush on you,’” Buck mused, grinning when Eddie snorted, smile turning light and affectionate. 

“Just a crush, huh?” Eddie chuckled, squeezing his hands, and Buck nodded heartily. 

“I don’t put out that quickly, Diaz. You gotta woo me first,” Buck smirked, winking at Christopher in the rear view mirror at the tiny giggles. 

The light turned green by then, and all three of them ignored the honking from the car behind them. Buck wasn’t about to let some impatient asshole who couldn’t wait 0.3 seconds ruin their day. 

He had gone with Christopher to check out the archery range beforehand, when they had some time as just the two of them, so he knew the route by heart. 

Which also helped in keeping the destination a secret, getting Eddie back for that torturous waiting experience on their first date. 

“I thought you said I swept you right off your feet on our _first_ date.” Eddie raised an eyebrow in question, and Buck shrugged, sighing when traffic was starting to pick up now. 

“Does that mean you’re going to stop courting me now?” Buck asked teasingly, expecting a light swat on the arm or an answering laugh. Instead, Eddie leaned forward in his seat so that he could catch Buck’s gaze without him taking his eyes off the road, eyes filling with an emotion Buck could never keep looking at without a lump forming in his throat. 

“I plan to court you for the rest of our lives, Buckley. Rest assured,” Eddie said adoringly, the corners of his eyes crinkling in that tell-tale sign of showing exactly how happy he was right now, which left Buck trying to convince his heart into not going into cardiac arrest. 

_Eddie Diaz was definitely put into his life to kill him slowly. Affectionately of course_. 

“Daddy, Bucky’s all red.” Christopher giggled, and Buck sent a halfhearted glare at the little traitor through the rear view mirror, who only blinked those big puppy dog eyes back at him innocently. 

“He is, isn’t he, buddy? A very beautiful shade of red,” Eddie grinned, and Buck wondered if one could physically melt into the asphalt just by glaring at it hard enough. 

Fusion by diffusion and all that. 

He vaguely noticed that he had missed the turn at the desired intersection, but quickly worked on fixing that, circling back to the crossroad after somehow managing to navigate the neighbourhood he had driven them into. 

Buck ignored Eddie’s knowing gaze that bore holes on the side of his face, this time taking the proper turn and continuing on their merry way. 

“You know why we also decided on zinnias?” Buck opted to revert the conversation, smiling when he felt Christopher patting his hands lightly on the driver’s seat. It wasn’t enough to cause too much of a distraction, but just enough to let Buck know he was excited for the answer. 

“I think...it was something about affection? I didn’t have that much time to Google until you two dragged me out,” Eddie huffed, leaning back in the passenger seat in defeat, and Buck’s lips curved up, bemused. They _had_ , quite literally, dragged Eddie away from the flowers.

“You’re right about affection. But you missed a vital part of it,” Buck hummed, turning into the parking lot of their destination, the time still relatively early that there weren’t many cars parked in the lot. Shifting the gears into reverse and placing a hand on the edge of the passenger seat, he expertly reversed the car into an empty spot, cheering internally at the perfect parking job in just one try. 

“Oh? And what’s that?” 

Throwing the car in ‘park’ and turning off the ignition, Buck detached the keys before turning his entire body to face Eddie, a teasing glint in his eyes. 

“ _Everlasting_ affection. Because I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever,” Buck whispered, leaning forward slowly, a smile gracing his lips when Eddie’s eyes darkened, lowering to where he darted his tongue out to lick his lips quickly. 

Just when Eddie started to lean in, Buck abruptly leaned back, turning to grin at Christopher who was staring at them in both adoration and disgust. He laughed when Eddie let out a surprised yelp at the sudden movement, glaring at him when Buck snickered as he scrambled frantically to not topple over. 

_'Tease'_ Eddie mouthed at him, an impressive scowl on his face as Buck merely grinned. 

Looking back towards Christopher, Buck burst out laughing again when he saw the relieved expression on his face when he realized that they weren’t going to lock lips right in front of his innocent eyes. Opening up the driver’s side door, Buck hopped out of the car before leaning back in to shoot them both a winning grin. 

“Alright, Diaz boys! Let’s see if your skills in the virtual world tramps reality!” 

* * *

Buck was really, _really_ trying. 

He made sure to press his lips together tightly and dig his heels into the dirt beneath him, all to distract himself from the absolutely hilarious scene happening just a few feet in front of him. He felt like he would burst with all this holding back. 

It certainly didn’t help that Christopher wasn’t even holding back his unabashed laughter, watching as his dad tried and failed again and again to shoot the arrow anywhere near the target. 

Scratch that. At this rate, it would probably be a miracle if Eddie even managed to shoot it straight at _all_. 

“Uh, Eds? You do know that our lane is right in front of us, right? You don’t get any points by shooting someone else’s target.” Buck’s voice was shaking, he _knew_ it was shaking, and could see that Eddie was in no way fooled by how he was trying so desperately to hide it. 

So far, the only time he had hit the target was when he hit the board _two lanes over_ , and not even landing it in the circles. 

Buck was sure the two workers that had helped them set up were probably having one hell of a good time. 

He watched as his boyfriend turned around, finishing yet another futile attempt in getting the arrow to land not twenty feet in front of him, an adorable crinkle forming just above the bridge of his nose. 

"Yes Evan. I am actually _very_ well aware of that fact,” Eddie scowled, and Buck turned to share a look with Christopher, who now had both hands covering his mouth as he snorted into them, the sight itself being able to melt the hearts of any sane person in the world. 

He could tell Eddie wasn’t really all that frustrated, just a little caught off guard at how badly he was performing, opting now to sulk poutingly. And even if he was, one look at the pure delight on Christopher’s face would quell any further frustration. 

Now that Eddie had turned back to face them, Buck could openly admire the equipment highlighting Eddie’s absolutely glorious features. The workers had provided them with all the necessary gear, seeming to almost titter gleefully among themselves as they directed them to a more secluded part of the range when they first arrived. 

It had surprised them at first, with the warm welcome they received the moment they walked through the door. 

“We usually only get boy scouts, seasonal camps, or repeat visitors, so it’s quite refreshing to see some new faces.” One of the workers, Tessa, had said, practically _beaming_. She was dressed in their uniform, a cute little bow and arrow logo on the left side of her chest. Her partner made a noise of agreement, stopping them at Lanes 9 to 11. 

Buck had to fight back a grin at the uncanny coincidence, and judging from Eddie’s barely concealed cough of laughter, he was thinking along the same lines. Looking down, Buck’s smile softened at Christopher’s awed look, even though the two had already scouted the location beforehand. 

“Since it’s still relatively early, feel free to take up these three lanes. We’ll let you know when more people come in, but it usually isn’t as busy until late afternoon,” Jemma, Tessa’s partner, said brightly, moving to the rack behind them that held the bows. 

“Are any of you left-handed?” she asked, and Buck immediately gestured to Eddie who raised said hand. “Ah, okay. Believe it or not, we don’t have many customers that are left-handed, so we keep those bows in the back. I’ll go retrieve them for you later,” Jemma said, and Buck couldn’t help a soft chuckle, nudging Eddie playfully. 

_‘Look at you, receiving special treatment.’_ Buck wiggled his eyebrows in their remarkable silent communication, and Eddie snorted, cocking an unimpressed expression back. 

_‘Don’t make me hit you in front of my son and these two lovely ladies.’_ Eddie shifted his eyes towards the other three pointedly, and Buck shrugged. 

_‘Like that’ll stop you.’_

Buck bit back a smile at his boyfriend’s delightful eyebrow raise at that, looking back at the workers who were watching them with barely-concealed amusement. 

“Don’t mind them. They do - they do that all the time.” Christopher grinned up at the two girls, who laughed ardently. 

“They do, huh?” Tessa snickered, and Buck could feel his cheeks lighting up on fire, a similar occurrence happening to his boyfriend right beside him. 

“Alright, well. Arrows are in the quivers hanging off that post over there,” Tessa pointed them out before continuing, “and each lane has their own. We also have finger tabs that you can use to help protect your fingers from the string.” Jemma handed one to each of them just as Tessa trailed off, lips twitching in amusement as she corrected Eddie into putting it onto his left instead of his right, which made Buck snicker at the blush printing on his cheeks. 

Absently, he internally thanked every single deity he could think of on the spot when the sun shined brightly through the clouds they had earlier that morning, encasing the outdoor range with a gentle warmth. 

The targets had been set 18 yards in front of them, and Jemma worked to give them a quick run-down of the proper stance, some tips and tricks, and the safety regulations. After they were all situated in their relative lanes, Tessa having grabbed the left-handed bow out from the back, the two workers left with a wave and a bright grin. 

“Have fun! If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask!” 

They all called back their thanks before Buck suggested that maybe they should take turns to see how well each other shot. He grinned when Christopher didn’t even hesitate in taking a seat beside him on the bench, both of them staring up at Eddie expectantly. 

“Wow. I see how it is.” Eddie rolled his eyes, but the smile on his lips was fond, and dutifully picked up his bow. 

“Eddie Diaz’s first, after all.” Buck winked. 

“Wait! Can we - take a picture first?” Christopher asked, looking up at them eagerly, and Buck really was absolutely _weak_ for the Diaz boys. 

“Yup!” 

He couldn’t help a loving smile when Eddie didn’t even hesitate in pulling them both in closer, fitting them into the screen of Buck’s phone camera. Christopher sat between them, holding his own smaller bow and beaming at the camera. Clicking a few photos, and a promise of sending them to Eddie later, Buck and Christopher sat to watch, once again, as Eddie picked up his bow. 

Blinking rapidly to bring his thoughts back to the present to where they were now, with Buck staring at that damn _bracer_ that wrapped around Eddie’s forearm perfectly, startling against the thin strip of tan skin exposed between the bracer and his shirt sleeves. The tight material wrapped in places where gloves couldn’t reach, a snug fit that did nothing to stop the rush of blood running south. 

_Nope, do not go there, Buckley._

And _oh_ , watching him hold the bow was a sight all in itself. Buck was sure the temperature underneath the small overhang they were situated in skyrocketed the moment his deft fingers wrapped around the wooden structure, the weight of it accentuating the flex of Eddie’s bicep as he worked to keep it upright. 

Thank god Buck was sitting, because he was sure his legs would have _collapsed_ under his weight when Eddie’s other hand moved to test out the string. His boyfriend hadn’t expected the thin material to be quite that stiff, so his biceps tightened as he strummed it, further showcasing the muscles Buck had drooled over many times in the workout section of the station. 

“So, what happened to Mr. ‘I-always-get-10-points?’” Buck mused, ducking away when Eddie moved to swat at him, much to Christopher’s never-ending amusement. 

“That’s different, which I’ve now come to realize. All you need to do for Xbox, is hold your arm steady with the screen already pinpointing your shot with that red marker. You just need to adjust according to the wind speed that is literally _provided for you_. None of this extra sh-stuff.” Eddie quickly corrected, eyes shifting to Christopher who was grinning widely. 

Buck raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “So what you’re telling me, is that you can scale up people’s houses, find the fifth intercostal space in a stressful situation, but not shoot straight?” Eddie responded with an offended scoff. 

“Of course I can shoot _straight_ , I was a soldier. I’m an expert at straight. _Very_ straight.” 

Buck snickered at that, shooting an apologetic look at Christopher before covering both his ears with the palms of his hands. “Mm, of course. Is that why your tongue was in my mouth last night?” He laughed as Eddie’s jaw dropped at that, stunned. 

“ _Evan_.” 

Buck snorted at Eddie’s scandalized tone, releasing his palms from Christopher’s ears and sending him a subtle wink before getting up from his spot on the bench. He headed over into the lane beside Eddie’s, picking up the bow situated there. He could feel Eddie watching him curiously, and sent him a bright smile. 

“Why don’t you take a small break? Watch me make a fool of myself instead?” Buck suggested airily, testing the weight of the bow on one hand, picking up an arrow from the quiver beside him with his other hand. 

Turning to the target situated in front of him, Buck grinned when he heard Christopher whisper ‘two ice cream scoops that he’s better than you, daddy’ with Eddie’s responding indignant snort of ‘you’re on.’ 

“Hey Christopher!” Buck called, not turning away from the target, hearing the boy responding with a loud shout of ‘yeah?’ Steadying his breathing, he left the two hanging for a moment before turning his head to shoot them both a cocky smirk. 

“Better think of your two favourite flavours” was the only warning he gave before lifting his bow and drawing the string with the fitted arrow in one swift move. It was barely a second later that he let go of the arrow, the resounding _thunk_ on the target board displaying what Buck already knew would be a perfect, dead-center shot.

Bulls. Eye. 

Turning back to the two Diaz boys, Buck couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the pure _shock_ on their faces, Christopher’s glasses now having nearly slid down the entire length of his nose. He turned to look at Eddie, watching as his boyfriend swallowed thickly, eyes not knowing where to look.

Silence. 

It was suddenly so quiet, as if the arrow hitting the target reverberated the air around them. Buck’s ears were still pounding in pure adrenaline from that shot. Lifting his gaze to lock with Eddie’s, Buck shuddered at how his boyfriend’s eyes seemed to have clouded over, his jaw now clenched tightly in arousal or stunned astonishment, or a combination of both. It was a look he was well familiar with by now.

“How...in the actual _f-_ ” 

“Chocolate chip cookie dough and vanilla, Daddy,” Christopher cut in gleefully, looking up at Eddie’s dazed expression with a bright smile. Buck laughed, the captivating echo of it resounding through the range seeming to finally bring Eddie back to reality. 

“If I make the next shot, does that mean you’ll treat me to ice cream too, Eds?” Buck asked, already picking up his bow and innocently batting his lashes. He pouted, turning to face the target again when Eddie merely rolled his eyes, not seeing the wicked smile tugging on his lips as he replied. 

“Oh, I’ll be treating you to more than just _ice cream_.” 

Buck had been in the process of releasing his arrow then, but Eddie’s words struck straight through his concentration and with a small yelp, he let the arrow go, watching as it plopped dead-center, but in the target an _entire lane over_. 

_Oh my god_. 

Buck turned to shoot Eddie his best death-glare, narrowing his eyes further when the man only smirked smugly, leaning back on the bench he was sitting on to, once again, flaunt those _damn arms_. There was a mouthwatering high to knowing that Buck knew exactly what was under that shirt, even if only his forearms were exposed, and he was sure the thought showed all over his face, if the widened smirk was any indication. 

Christopher was absolutely none the wiser, having heard nothing after realizing that he had won the bet and quickly diverting his attention to the endless possibilities of flavours he could ask for. 

“What was that about our lane being ‘right in front of us?’” Eddie blinked at him innocently, laughing as Buck snorted, putting the bow down to make his way towards them. As Christopher lifted his gaze to meet his, eyes twinkling with mischief, Buck knew what he had to do next. 

“Hey Chris, since your dad sucks at shooting straight, do you mind if I wow him with my skills?” Buck winked, smile widening as Christopher laughed, eyes squinting at the sheer happiness lighting up his entire face. 

“Dad wants to be - he wants to be Robin Hood for Halloween this year. It’ll be sad if he can’t shoot straight. Please help him, Buck.” Christopher grinned, and Buck ruffled his curls affectionately, both of them ignoring Eddie spluttering in faux offense, eyes widening at his son in disbelief. 

“Traitors, both of you,” Eddie muttered, but leaned down to kiss Christopher on the forehead like always, before following Buck to stand in front of his target again. Picking up the bow, he moved into position. 

“Alright smartass, give me a bullseye.” Buck snickered at Eddie’s coarse language, knowing that they were far enough to not be in Christopher’s hearing range. 

“Be nice, Diaz. I’m trying to help you here.” 

“I’m the one with the bow and arrow, Buckley, I’ll do what I want.” Buck could have sworn Eddie stuck out his tongue at him after, but it must have been a trick of the light because no way was _Eddie Diaz_ resorting to childish antics to win an argument. 

“Hmm, who’s the smartass now, exactly?” Buck held back a grin when Eddie tilted his head back to shoot him a glare, nonplussed. They were still the only three in the archery range, as luck would have it, so Buck didn’t even hesitate in stepping up behind Eddie. 

“You need to widen your stance,” he murmured, placing his palms on Eddie’s hips and twisting his body slightly. Nudging a leg in between his, Buck gently pushed at Eddie’s inner thigh with his to broaden his stance.

He couldn’t help a small smirk when the man’s shoulders tensed as he breathed in sharply at the adjustments, and purposefully lingered at the spot where their thighs were pressed together. 

He didn’t stay for too long though, because they were in public with a nine-year-old staring at them (and possibly taking photos) so they needed to keep this relatively G-rated. 

Noticing that Eddie’s breathing had become shallow, Buck pressed a light kiss to the delicate skin behind his ear, lips tugging up into a smile at the slight shiver. As much as Eddie pretended to be this stoic man, a few well-placed touches had him melting immediately, which never really failed to amuse Buck. 

“ _Relax_ , Eds. You’re going to end up releasing the arrow backwards if you’re this tense,” Buck teased, effectively loosening his stance as Eddie sighed in response. He moved one of his hands to cover the hand Eddie had gripped to the bow, and the other where Eddie had drawn back the string. 

“You’re not exactly making relaxing easy,” Eddie whispered, eyes shifting to look at the man standing behind him, and Buck hummed, dropping another quick kiss, this time to the shell of his ear. 

“Straighten your shoulders more. Steady your breathing,” Buck murmured, working to match his breathing to Eddie’s. Once they were breathing completely in sync, Buck loosened the hand that he had covered over Eddie’s on the string. 

“Now let go,” Buck whispered, breath ghosting over the junction of Eddie’s neck and shoulder. He already knew this arrow wouldn’t hit dead center from the way Eddie’s breath hitched again just before he let the arrow fly, both of them watching as it plunked into the target (finally), but in one of the outer rings. Bonus points for having hit the target in their lane.

Christopher immediately started cheering at that, and Buck turned to toss him an enthusiastic thumbs up before turning back to his boyfriend. 

“Not bad, a 3-pointer. Basketball players are practically quaking in their shoes,” Buck teased, laughing as Eddie pushed him back sharply with one well-placed shove of his shoulder, the movement making Buck stumble back a few steps. It did absolutely nothing to dispel his laughter. 

“Yay! Daddy finally hit it!” Christopher yelled, clapping his hands together excitedly. The two men exchanged a glance, all the earlier teasing gone from their expressions. Their eyes were reflecting back the exact same warmth, hearts growing twice their size, straining against their rib cages at their boy’s pure enthusiasm. 

“I thought I told you to get me a bullseye, Buckley.” Eddie still had the smile on his face, looking at their son, but Buck could see the slight pout all the same. They were about to head back to celebrate with him when Buck reached out to grab Eddie’s wrist with one hand, effectively halting his movements. Eddie turned to him again, tilting his head inquiringly. 

“What’s wro-”

All words halted abruptly when he leaned in close, bypassing Eddie’s lips to reach his ear, his own lips curling up invitingly. If anyone saw them, they would most likely assume one man was whispering a state secret to the other. 

“You may have not gotten a bullseye, which is a shame,” Buck whispered, the hand gripping Eddie’s wrist tightening and pulling in the man even _closer_ , his other hand gripping at his shoulder tightly. He smirked at the sharp intake of breath. 

“But it doesn’t matter. Because now, you will think of _me, every single time_ you shoot your shot,” Buck whispered hotly, his breath caressing the outer shell of Eddie’s ear. He bit his lip to stifle a laugh as he eyed the rapidly forming goosebumps on his skin. 

“You are...a _menace,_ ” Eddie managed to croak out, his eyes gleaming dangerously in the sun’s rays, emitting an almost feral aura. Buck couldn’t help his own shudder at that, letting go of Eddie’s wrist and stepping back, putting on a lighthearted smile as he practically _skipped_ his way to where Christopher was still patiently waiting. 

“Ready for your turn, buddy?” Buck grinned, all tension from earlier flooding away as he looked down at the bundle of joy quickly getting up from the bench. 

“Will you help me, Buck?” Christopher asked tentatively, suddenly sounding shy. Buck nodded fervently, wanting to immediately get rid of any doubts that Christopher had in regards to asking him for help. 

Because Christopher would always be their priority, and deserved infinitely better than what the world sometimes threw at him. 

“You bet!” Buck looked up to see Eddie watching them fondly, wordlessly taking Christopher’s crutches from him. 

Tessa and Jemma had given them a bow that was meant for kids Christopher’s age as well as arrows that were easier to shoot and had suction cups on the end instead of pointed tips. Buck and Christopher lined themselves up and prepared his stance.

“Will I be able to do this, Bucky?” Christopher whispered in his ear, presumably so Eddie couldn’t hear him. Christopher hated making his dad upset, which Buck understood well.

Since he had diplegic cerebral palsy, it only affected one symmetrical half of his body, being his legs. Comparatively, Chris had a lot of dexterity in his hands already, from holding and maneuvering his crutches. Obviously, Buck and Eddie knew that after all the research, but it could still be difficult for Chris to understand. And the two of them would move mountains to make sure the kid could try everything he wanted to.

“You can do anything you put your mind to, superman. You can do it, your dad and I know it!” Buck whispered back encouragingly before speaking in a normal voice. “Okay, so here’s what we want to do. Wrap your hand around the bow here, and put the arrow on this little notch.”

Buck guided Christopher’s hands, his own nearly dwarfing the child’s smaller ones. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eddie taking pictures, a wide smile on his face. “Your dad’s turned into the paparazzi again.”

Christopher laughed, looking much more at ease now. Buck instructed him towards the rest of the steps, placing his hands accordingly to help Christopher draw the arrow back and release it. 

The very first shot hit the board. Not in the center, but in the second ring. Buck and Eddie whooped out a bunch of cheers as Christopher threw his head back and laughed.

“Yeah, superman! Go, Christopher!” They chanted in unison, randomly dancing around the kid like cheerleaders at touchdown. Christopher shook his head in exasperation at how absolutely ridiculous the two men looked before assuming the stance again. Eddie stood close on his non-dominant side in case he needed help with his balance but for the most part, they stayed out of the way, even as the kid swayed a little.

Buck verbally guided him this time. Out of the next three arrows, one landed in front of the target, one on the outer ring and the last one in the second ring.

They were struck dumb at how natural Christopher was at this. More cheering ensued as Buck fetched the arrows again.

“Let’s try for a bullseye this time. See, all of your arrows have hit below the center, which probably means the bow needs to be tilted upwards slightly. It takes some practice, but hey, you’re doing better than Eddie over here.” 

Eddie grinned widely at his son instead of replying to the teasing. “See, another thing you’re better than me at.”

The smile that broke out over Christopher’s face was like the sun.

Buck’s heart swelled at both the smile and as Eddie pulled him into a quick kiss, clearly meant to express his gratitude. They went at it, now splitting up between the three lanes. Christopher shuffled over to the center one so he was in between Buck and Eddie, both men keeping a keen eye on the kid.

Thankfully, ten minutes showed a marked improvement in Eddie, who was now definitely hitting the target in his own lane. Buck hid a smirk as his boyfriend periodically glanced at him, clearly thinking of him while shooting his shot if the heated glances were anything to go by.

Buck released arrow after arrow, all of them hitting the innermost ring. It was a refreshing throwback to his younger years. He missed the sheer control one could have over a sport, over the trajectory of the arrow. He missed the rush that came with hitting his target.

Christopher, though, was doing _marvelous_. He wasn’t missing the target either, and a lot of his shots were very close to the bullseye. Buck was still stunned that he hadn’t done this before, but he was so pleased that they’d come here, if only to increase Christopher’s confidence.

“Buck, I bet you _three_ scoops of ice cream that Christopher’s gonna hit a bullseye in the next three shots.”

“I’m not taking that bet because I _know_ he’s gonna hit it.” The light flush on the kid’s face was definitely from all the doting affection, but Buck couldn’t help but hype him up with Eddie. “If anyone’s gonna get three scoops of ice cream, it’s definitely not you, old man Diaz.”

They weren’t lying. Both Buck and Eddie abandoned their empty quivers to step back and watch Christopher use his last three arrows. Eddie quickly jogged to remove the previous arrows so he had room on his target while Buck set up his camera to record this. 

The very first arrow proved them right.

While Buck’s shot had been met with a shocked silence, Christopher’s bullseye was celebrated with loud applause and more cheers. There still weren’t any other people in the range with them, but the sound of hooting from the far end brought their attention to Tessa and Jemma who had noticed the shot.

“I did it!” Christopher exclaimed gleefully, nearly tripping over because of his excitement. Eddie quickly caught him and scooped his kid into a hug, all three of them laughing wildly.

“Tell me you got that on camera,” Eddie asked Buck, who was actually still recording. He hadn’t pressed the stop button, too busy cheering in his own pride for Christopher.

“Yup. I’ve got it. See superman, we told you that you could do it!” Buck ruffled his hair before adding onto his sentence, unable to resist teasing Eddie. “Unlike your old man.”

It was almost comical, how fast Eddie moved at that, first putting Christopher down safely before reaching out his arms. 

Buck strategically ducked out of the way of Eddie’s hands as they moved to hit him...somewhere, precision yet to be determined. He laughed with Christopher as Eddie lost his balance and started to stumble like a newborn taking its first steps. 

“Eddie, sweetheart, you’ve already made a point of never hitting your mark. Don’t _emphasize_ that point. Plead the fifth and move on,” Buck teased, discretely holding the phone to capture his boyfriend’s reaction, laughing harder at the displeasure marring his gaze. He had finally managed to steady himself by collapsing on the bench, but his glare was still undeterred. 

Still giddy from the morning’s events, Buck turned to Christopher, giving his share of a hug as he picked him up and spun him around, his laughter a vibrant display of a beloved melodious symphony. 

“A _bullseye_. You are officially the entire talent of the Diaz family.” Buck carefully put Christopher down and gave him a double high-five, smiling widely at the toothy-grin that greeted him back. He fleeted a glance at Eddie, who was looking on with a content smile. 

“Proud of you, kiddo.” Eddie leaned forward to place both hands gently on Christopher’s shoulder, squeezing proudly. Buck was about to ask if Eddie wanted to have another go to try and bring back his dignity, but then Christopher spoke. 

“Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom,” Chris announced. Declining their offers to come with, all the while shooting them a look as if saying _‘I’m not five’_ like the little ball of sass that he was, he made his way to the bathroom, leaving Buck and Eddie alone.

As soon as Chris safely reached the bathroom, Eddie spun on his heel to pull Buck into a hard kiss, hands coming up his face to cradle it gently as his lips moved ardently against Buck’s own. The dichotomy of it had Buck quietly moaning in surprise.

Neither him nor Eddie were ones to engage in brazen public displays of affection. What they did in the privacy of their home and family was their own business. In public, they stuck to touches and looks, and chaste kisses when they could afford them. 

“Thank you so much for today, Buck. This was...brilliant and perfect and everything I wanted,” his boyfriend said softly, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing him closer to his body. Buck beamed at him and tucked a loose strand of hair back into Eddie’s short quiff. The words quelled some of the anxiety and doubt that had been plaguing him.

“Even though you suck at archery?”

Eddie laughed at that, even as he tried to scowl in offense. “Give me a gun or a rifle and I’ll shoot them straight through. Arrows - not my thing. But this is a lot of fun and Christopher is so happy, too.”

“I read online that archery helps with hand-eye coordination, and that it can improve the dexterity of his hands as well. Thought it would be beneficial, and I’m glad you liked it.” 

“We could go dumpster digging and I’d love it because it’d be with my boys. Just like you said last time; it’s more about having fun than looking good.”

“I’m glad, but this is only a part of our date, the day I take the Diaz boys out on a date,” Buck hummed happily, leaning in to run his thumb lightly along Eddie’s stubbled jawline. 

“Well you definitely did. Thank you, my love _._ ” An overwhelming surge of power and honor hit him like a ton of bricks in knowing that he was one of the few people Eddie let himself be vulnerable with. Buck couldn’t imagine taking advantage of the privilege, holding it close to his heart at all times. The thought made him press another kiss to Eddie’s temple, lingering in the faint scent of Eddie’s cologne.

“Don’t get it in your head that it’s over, by the way,” Buck added, smirking at the confusion on Eddie’s face. “Hey, I can keep a secret too.”

“Yeah, like this archery thing of yours. Where and how the fuck did you learn archery?”

Buck rocked back on his heels, suddenly shy about the entire thing, the way he got when he opened up about his hidden talents. “Well...it was a hobby I picked up in South America.”

“The bartending summer?”

“Yeah. Like I’d bartend during the nights, but in the evenings there was this one guy I worked with who also ran an archery club during the school years. We hung out some times, and I fell in love with archery during that summer.” He smiled, thinking of Rafael. The man was sweet and patient, and had given him so many pointers on improving his aim. Him and his wife had helped him a lot with how alone he'd felt out there.

“Why do I feel like there’s more to this archery business than just one summer?” Eddie narrowed his eyes teasingly.

“Nah, I kept up with the hobby for a little bit after I tried out for the SEALs but after I started at the 118, I sort of just...stopped.”

“Seeing you like that is very hot, and drives me crazy,” Eddie murmured softly as his attention strayed to where Buck assumed Christopher was coming up behind him. He flushed at the blatant adoration in his boyfriend’s voice.

“You should see me with a dartboard,” Buck smirked when he saw Eddie’s expression blanch, before turning to face the kid too, giving him a megawatt grin.

“Hey! So, Chris. Would you like to shoot again and get all the bullseyes to make up for your dad’s poor archery skills, or let him try to convince us he is actually capable of landing a decent shot?” Buck grinned, this time not ducking away as Eddie shoved him playfully. 

“Don’t be _rude_. Are you sure this is a date, or are you two just tryin’ to make fun of me?” Buck chuckled at the Texan drawl that came out when Eddie got passionate, a frisson of heat slivering through him at the low voice. 

Christopher tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly as if in deep thought, but the upward curve of his lips gave away just how amused he was at the current circumstances. 

“How about we _both_ teach Daddy how to shoot?” Christopher suggested brightly, and Buck smirked, both of them ignoring Eddie’s faux-offended gasp. 

“You hold his legs and I’ll get him into position?” Buck winked, laughing as Christopher gave him his own version of a wink back, both eyes blinking adorably. 

“Deal.” 

“Don’t I get a say in this?” 

Buck exchanged a look with Christopher, who turned to look at his dad, unimpressed. In a completely serious tone, they replied in unison. 

“Nope.” 

* * *

“Those left-handed bows are definitely rigged. The entire system is rigged. You two are rigged. This. World. Is. _Rigged_.” 

Buck couldn’t even _pretend_ to hide his amusement at the sheer amount of sulking his grown-ass boyfriend was doing. “Aw, come on Eds, you managed to score 60 points at the end.” 

“You and Christopher helped me with 40 of them.” 

“And it was a very good 40, right Chris?” Buck fleeted a glance in the rear view mirror and matched Christopher’s grin with one of his own. 

“You did well for your first time, Daddy,” Christopher said sweetly, and Eddie scoffed, turning around in his seat to raise an incredulous eyebrow at his son. 

“Says the one who got a bullseye. _Multiple_ bullseyes. _On his first try!_ ” Christopher beamed at that, but leaned forward all the same to pat his dad’s arm comfortingly. 

“The absolute champion of the Diaz clan,” Buck agreed, sending Chris another bright grin through the mirror. 

“So, where are you two taking me next?” Eddie asked casually, as if Buck didn’t know _exactly_ what he was doing, which resulted in yet another unimpressed look. 

“Do I need to give you a dictionary for your birthday?” Buck deadpanned, and seeing Eddie’s confused expression, continued. “Because it seems like we need to give you a refresher on what ‘surprise’ means.” Christopher burst out into bright titters of laughter behind them, only laughing harder at the deep scowl on his dad’s face. 

“Have to be patient, Daddy. A surprise is a surprise,” Christopher quipped, and Buck wished he could give him a high-five right now, which he would have, had he not been driving with two very precious lives in the car. 

“I’m not sure I’m liking all these secrets,” Eddie huffed, crossing his arms and mirroring both the position and the words Buck had used on their first date, which only worked to further amuse the hell out of him. 

“Now you know how I felt last time.” Emphasizing the fact that he could out-child Eddie any day, Buck stuck out his tongue like the true adult he was. Grinning cheekily at his boyfriend, Buck smirked when he could only glare at him from the passenger seat. He could tell that Eddie’s hands were twitching to smack him but held back because he was driving. 

“We’re almost there,” Christopher said pointedly, and Eddie gave Buck a mischievous smirk before turning to his son, blinking at him innocently. 

“Just a little hint? Please?” Buck rolled his eyes at his antics, giving Christopher a _‘I can’t believe you have to deal with this man 24/7’_ look in the rear view mirror and stifled a laugh as Christopher pouted at him, his eyes seeming to scream back _‘it’s not a choice, Bucky.’_

Thankfully, Christopher was saved from having to come up with white lies to tell his dad as their destination came into view, the traffic seeming to part like the Red Sea today, as if knowing they were on a schedule. 

“Am I dreaming? Or are we actually at a botanical garden?” Eddie’s eyes were wide as he read the sign filled with big fancy lettering of _Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens_ having caught a clue from Buck flicking his blinker on. Buck heard Christopher giggling at the pun written on a homemade sign underneath the official ones, saying ‘ _Let the Good Thymes Roll_.’ 

‘Now I see where Christopher gets it from.’ Buck mused internally, eyes fond as he watched Eddie looking around them, even at the road to the parking lot in awe. The more extravagant plants were located further inside in their own exhibits, but the gigantic fountain at the entrance and the trees stamped with biological names were pretty hard to miss. 

Mimicking his earlier parking job at the archery range, this time stealing a quick kiss when he placed a hand on the passenger seat, Buck was pleasantly surprised how well he was doing. Parking had never been one of his fortes, but it seemed like the universe decided to be generous today and give him a break from the usual teasing. 

“Time to feed your dad, Chris. Wait here,” Buck grinned, not waiting for Eddie’s reply as he opened his driver side door, climbing out to pull a bag of hastily wrapped burritos from the back. 

“I thought these places didn’t let you bring food in?” Eddie asked, looking skeptically at the thermos bag in Buck’s hand.

“Oh, they don’t. We just packed a few breakfast burritos while you were busy swooning over those flowers. It’s going to be a late breakfast-slash-lunch for us after this, I’m afraid,” Buck explained. It had been hell to stop giggling as Christopher and Buck watched Eddie look wide-eyed at the vibrant flowers that now decorated the living room table for a solid ten minutes with a Cheshire grin on his face. They still tried to focus on the wraps of egg, sausage and cheese in their hands, even as the sight hyped them up.

Buck pulled them out and passed them to his two boys before pulling out one for himself. He was surprised they were still decently warm, but he’d take what he could get. They’d spent two hours at the archery range, and it was coming up to 11am now. That was a long while to go without eating. 

They stuffed themselves quickly with the light brunch before getting ready to leave. Eddie helped Christopher get down from the car while Buck grabbed the backpack he’d prepared full of hats, water bottles, sunscreen and all of that jazz. 

“So…which flowers are we eating first?” Eddie said, nudging Christopher. 

Buck didn’t need to shoot Eddie an unimpressed look this time as he made his way towards them, because Christopher had it covered. 

“Daddy, don’t be silly. The arbor-arboretum protects nature. Don’t be...be a savage.” Buck almost dropped the backpack at that, unable to hold back his laughter anymore when he saw Eddie’s eyes practically bulging out of their sockets at Christopher’s innocent look. 

“Where’d you learn to say that?!” 

Christopher only giggled, shrugging. “I heard Aunt Athena say it once.”

“Not much you can say to Athena, Eds,” Buck shrugged as he pulled out the hats, tugging them down on Eddie’s and Christopher’s heads before throwing his on. The kid laughed as Buck and Eddie ran their fingers over the visors like actors did in the movies, cocking their heads at each other and raising an eyebrow dramatically.

Christopher took point, electing to lead them in after all three of them slathered themselves in sunscreen. Buck and Eddie followed a few paces behind him, hand in hand. He could feel his boyfriend relax at the sight of the ramp near the steep steps of the entrance.

“I checked all of it. It’s going to be fine,” he said in a low voice. Eddie only shook his head and smiled at him, stealing the breath from Buck’s lungs.

“I don’t worry about it when you’re there. It’s just a habit, really,” he said, squeezing his hand. “How’d you know I like botanical gardens?”

“Oh, I didn’t,” Buck scoffed. “I took a wild guess when I heard you liked flowers, and Christopher backed it up, so here we are.”

“Well, thank you.” Eddie placed a deft kiss on his cheek as he held the door open for them.

“Hi, welcome to the LA County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Are you a member?” A perky employee said at the entrance. Christopher looked awed by the gift shop nearby.

“No, but I bought tickets online. Here you go,” Buck chirped, handing over the confirmation to her. She passed them three copies of maps, and pointed towards the door past her, letting them through after a few safety guidelines.

There was a security guard at the entrance who rustled through their backpack briefly before passing it back with a smile. Buck thanked him and froze at the sight of Christopher already slung over his father’s shoulders, pointing at something nearby. Both were laughing as they waited for Buck to catch up.

 _I want this forever_.

“You have a beautiful family,” the guard said, startling Buck out of thoughts to propose to Eddie right there and then.

_Slow down there, Buckley. You’ve only been dating for a few weeks._

_And you still haven’t put a ring on it?_

Ignoring the tumultuous thoughts tumbling through in his head, Buck looked up to meet the guard’s knowing gaze. 

“Thank you,” he replied shyly, beaming at the man before joining his boys, pulling Chris’s crutches off.

The crowd was beginning to pick up, now that they were approaching noon. The bubble from the first part of their date hadn’t broken but it had been nice to have space to themselves. Obviously, they couldn’t expect the entire garden to stay empty but wishful thinking wasn’t a crime. 

They hadn’t even walked for a full five minutes towards the Arboretum building before Christopher let out a loud gasp, whisper-yelling “look!”

It was a gorgeous peacock, strutting around the sidewalks and away from them. His plumage trailed behind him in varying hues of turquoise, emerald and bronze, ruffling in the wind.

By the other awed gasps and park-goers falling still, the peacock clearly realized he was being noticed, because he looked curiously at them before unfurling his plumage to form the infamous spread of feathers.

“Did you know that those eye-spots are what attracts mates? And that only males have the colorful train? They unfurl like that to assert dominance,” Buck whispered.

“Ah, so he’s the peacock version of you from my first day,” Eddie whispered back, mirth dancing in his tone. Buck pulled back to glare at him as Chris shook with laughter on his father’s back.

“Last I checked, _I_ don’t have tail feathers..” he mumbled through a pout, huffing petulantly. He only further emphasized his look when Eddie turned to blink up at him incredulously. 

“ _That’s_ your issue?” 

“Okay _fine_. You were _pretty_ , okay? I have _eyes,_ ” Buck grumbled, turning skillfully so he wouldn’t catch Eddie’s gaze. 

There was a moment of contemplative silence. Christopher’s head darted back and forth between the two, not quite knowing where to look, choosing in the end to tug at his dad’s hair, getting Eddie to successfully shake himself out of his reverie. 

Still, he couldn’t help but tease him some more.

“For the record, it was cute, how territorial you were. Especially when you preened your feathers.” 

“I did not _preen_ -”

"I, for one, quite enjoyed that display of power. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t already enamoured regardless.” 

“I can’t believe you’re trying to flirt with me over a _peacock_. Grow up, Eds.”

Eddie let out a rich chuckle, setting Chris down. Buck passed him his crutches and they were on their way again.

They went _everywhere_ they could, trying to fit in as many of the locations indicated on their maps, all the while with Buck dropping little tidbits and facts. Christopher stopped occasionally to read the signs, with Buck and Eddie’s help.

“Look! There’s a May Waterfall!” 

“ _Meyberg_ Waterfall, buddy. The sign says that they’re doing construction there for a while so unfortunately, we won’t be able to see it.” Eddie stepped closer to the sign to read the fine red print, and Buck nodded sadly in agreement. 

“But that’s okay! There are plenty other sites we can go check out,” Buck added quickly, trying not to dampen Christopher’s spirit, who merely shrugged in acceptance before taking both their hands again, tugging them in a certain direction. Buck exchanged a look with Eddie beside him, his boyfriend giving him a relaxed grin. 

Their son led them surprisingly quickly to a clearing that was clearly meant to be for newly wedded couples, all of them stopping to watch on at the unexpected coincidence, Christopher openly admiring the luxurious clothing. 

“They all look so pretty,” Christopher observed, before continuing. “This is a very good place to get married, don’t you think so, Daddy? Bucky?” At that, he looked up at the two grown-ups pointedly, as if insinuating something, and Buck didn’t know whether to blush or look horrified at how easily Christopher had mentioned them getting _married_ after only officially getting together a few weeks ago. 

Eddie was also shocked to a standstill, before clearing his throat and placing a hand on both of their shoulders. 

“You’re absolutely right, Chris,” Eddie said softly, and Buck felt the flush rising to his cheeks, studiously not meeting either of their gazes as they stood there for a moment, admiring the union of two strangers’ lives. 

He couldn’t hold back a smile when Eddie’s hand moved lower to grasp his, squeezing comfortingly. 

It was a true testament to his cheeks, the giddy smile stretched comfortably across his lips not the least bit dampening. Buck didn’t think he’d stopped smiling since he’d stepped foot in the Diaz household this morning.

The trip got even _more_ interesting when Eddie started sprouting facts about the orchids in the Tropical Greenhouse.

“Did you know that orchids are the largest flowering plant in the world?” Eddie suddenly said out of absolutely nowhere, startling Buck who was still recovering from the whole ‘witnessing a wedding that could be ours in a year or two’ thing.

“What else is special about these, Daddy?” Christopher asked, looking at the brightly colored flowers.

Eddie pointed towards a particularly small flower. “The smallest orchid in the world is only as big as a dime and their seeds are very tiny. When they mature, they actually start growing upside down.” Christopher giggled at that, lifting a finger to brush his fingertips lightly over the petite petals. 

“Like bats!” 

Buck couldn’t help a small huff of laughter at that. Imagining bats and orchids cohabiting made quite the interesting picture. Certainly, if Dracula had started leaving vases of orchids at every single one of his victim’s houses, the ratings would have taken a drastic turn. 

They had opted to remove their very stylish hats in the cover of the humid greenhouse, wincing at the sweat already building up along their hairline. 

“They’re also said to bring peace, love, and happiness into peoples’ lives,” Eddie added softly, one hand moving to card through Christopher’s sweat-dampened curls fondly, the other reaching up to pinch Buck’s cheek playfully. 

There was something about that automatic reaction that had his heart soaring with joy. It was as if Eddie didn’t need to think twice about including Buck as part of that love and happiness, at how _effortless_ it all was, which never failed to make him slightly dizzy. 

They continued on their trek, and Buck was pleasantly surprised at how big this place was, knowing that they will probably have to come back sometime to truly explore everything. Trees lined the path they were currently walking on, providing a well-received shade they all needed from the overbearing mid-afternoon sun. 

“Look! Those ducks look like Picasso’s paintings!” Christopher exclaimed loudly, pointing in a particular direction, the statement making Buck’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. When he saw what the boy was pointing at, he let out a bright burst of laughter. 

“Those are called mandarin ducks, Chris. You’re looking at the males right now, since the females are just coloured brown,” Buck explained, stepping over sideways as Eddie leaned in, trying to angle his head to see the ducks better. 

He had never been so thankful that he had perused the arboretum’s website thoroughly, to give both Diaz boys the ultimate tour. 

“The males are certainly pretty,” Eddie observed, smiling at Christopher’s sound of affirmation. At that, Buck turned to face his boyfriend, batting his lashes playfully. 

“Prettier than me?” He fought back another laugh as Eddie turned to look at him blankly, a dubious expression on his face. 

“Are you seriously asking me if I think you’re prettier than a _duck?”_

“Well, _am_ I?” 

Eddie squinted an eye, going for a deep, thoughtful look, as if truly thinking about it, and if Christopher wasn’t currently standing in front of them Buck would have shoved him into the pond. 

“Yes. Buck is prettier than a duck,” Christopher chipped in, taking over for his dad’s lack of ability to speak at the moment, then laughing at the words. “That rhymes! Buck and duck, they both bring us luck. While one drives a firetruck, the other can be brought to a potluck!” 

Buck’s jaw dropped, awestruck (he may be a bit of a poet himself) at Christopher’s quick thinking, turning to see Eddie bending down to clutch as his stomach, his boisterous laugh echoing through the small clearing they were in. There were some turning of heads in their direction in bewildered confusion, but most of them just offered a small, freaked-out smile before moving on their way. 

“Seems like his English classes are coming in handy,” Eddie snickered when he caught his breath, grunting at the elbow that pummeled into his gut. 

“It was a very good rhyme, Chris,” Buck chuckled, and honestly, it was pretty well thought out in the time that he had done so. Seeing how the ducks were heading away from them, Buck grinned mischievously. 

“Hey Chris! Do you think they'll come to us if we speak in their language?” Buck waggled his eyebrows, not waiting for either of their answers. Waving his arms around wildly, he felt the need to stand up on his tip-toes for a little more than his 6’2” before shouting, “ _Ni hao! Ji bang?!_ ” 

He frowned when the ducks completely ignored him, their little webbed feet waddling even _faster_ somehow, effectively disappearing through the cover of some plants in the water. He swore he even saw the leader of the flock turning to _glare_ at him, flapping his wings indignantly.

“Huh, must be the accent,” Buck mused, turning to the Diaz boys to see them gaping at him incredulously, both of their eyes shifting discreetly around them as if making sure no one else had heard. Their tense shoulders only seemed to relax when they saw that they were the only ones within Buck’s voice range. 

Okay, _rude_ much? 

“Did you learn that on Duolingo?” Eddie asked wryly, and Buck frowned, shaking his head. 

“I heard it a couple times when Maddie and I wandered around Chinatown. Come to think of it, it came from an old man running a meat stand…” Buck trailed off, suddenly realizing what he just said might not have been very wildlife-appropriate. He glared as Eddie bit back laughter, Christopher not even attempting to hide his snickers. 

“Those poor ducks must be _traumatized,_ ” Eddie snorted. Christopher seemed to take pity on him somewhat, reaching forward to pat his leg consolingly. He made sure to maturely stick his tongue out at the older Diaz, pulling Christopher closer to him and smiling at him sweetly. 

“Thank you Christoph-” 

“The new girl in my class speaks Mandarin. I’ll get her to teach you some time.” Christopher looked up at him cheekily, eyes twinkling with mirth behind those glasses. 

_Traitors, the whole lot of them._

Buck glowered at Eddie who just could not stop snickering, reaching out a hand to pat Christopher on the shoulder loftily like the prick that he was. 

_‘You never know, Evan. Getting advice from another nine-year-old might be helpful. Respecting your elders and all that.’_ Eddie’s eyes were dancing gleefully, not at all deterred by his leering scowl. 

_‘There’s a pond not even fifteen feet away, Diaz. Choose your next words wisely.’_ Amidst their intense silent conversation, Buck suddenly noticed another bird making its presence known as it landed on the branch of a tree right beside them. Smirking, he turned to Christopher. 

“Chris, see that bird there? The one on the branch?” Buck knelt down to Christopher’s level, pointing a finger up in his line of sight. He tilted his head up curiously, smiling when he caught sight of it. 

“Yeah. The one whose head looks like daddy’s hair in the morning?” Christopher asked innocently. They both ignored Eddie’s appalled gasp, looking at each other with matching grins. 

“And _that_ is why you’re my favourite Diaz.” The two shared a giddy high-five. “It’s called a belted kingfisher. And yes, their heads look just like your dad’s hair before his morning coffee,” Buck whispered conspicuously, grinning as Christopher snickered into the palms of his hands. 

Suddenly, the sunlight disappeared in the form of a shadow, making the two look up at Eddie’s domineering stance, hands placed in an _‘are you serious?’_ manner on his hips. 

_“Christopher Micah-Adrian Diaz_.” Eddie narrowed his eyes, unconsciously running a hand through his hair as if trying to tame loose strands, which only deepened their amusement. Buck couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at that, mouthing an _‘Micah-Adrian?’_

“Daddy, you can’t bring out my...my middle name when you’re not actually mad. That’s not fair,” Christopher frowned, and Buck buried his face into his tiny shoulder, trying and failing to muffle his laughter. He didn’t need to look at the man to know that Eddie was wearing a gobsmacked expression on his face as he stared at his son. 

“Unbelievable. My own son, turning against me. Are you _sure_ this is a date?” Eddie sighed, and Buck slowly stood up from his kneeling position, bumping his boyfriend’s shoulder affectionately. A white flash of movement caught his eye, and he quickly motioned a shushing motion with his finger, getting both Diaz boys to turn around slowly. 

“If it makes you feel any better, there’s currently a snowy egret walking our way. Did you know that they’re apparently so rare that people are willing to travel across states to see them?” Buck whispered, tipping his head towards the bird slowly stumbling in front of them, stopping at the edge of the water. 

Its white wings were folded neatly by its sides, the yellow dash of colour around its eyes only highlighted its piercing gaze and vibrant neon legs standing out against the green flora. 

He fleeted a glance at two of the most important people in his life, smiling fondly at their twin expressions of awe, staring at the bird as if enthralled by its mere presence. Which, considering, was probably exactly what was happening. 

“Did you know that a mating pair can’t recognize each other until they’re at the nest? And even then, one of them will have to perform a greeting ritual to avoid being labelled as an intruder,” Buck murmured, and Eddie turned to give him a playful look. 

“Maybe we should get you to do that. Shake your hips,” Eddie whispered the last part huskily into his ear, and Buck could feel his lips curving up into a satisfactory grin at his resulting shudder. 

He made sure to shoot his boyfriend a _‘really? Right in front of our son?’_ look before speaking up in a dry tone. “Eddie, I may be extremely talented in a _lot_ of things. Alas, dancing is not one of them.” 

Eddie seemed to purse his lips in disbelief at that, before Christopher perked up, his eyes shifting from the white angelic beauty in front of them to the two men. 

“Daddy can dance,” Christopher said casually, grinning at his dad’s betrayed look, while Buck almost snapped his neck trying to swiftly turn it to face his boyfriend, who was _blushing_. 

“ _Edmundo Diaz_. You can _dance_?!” Buck whisper-shouted shrilly, remembering at the last second about the rare find in front of them, still staring at the water intensely as if it carried all the answers in life.

Eddie shuffled his feet self-consciously, clearing his throat almost painfully slow. He didn’t seem like he was keen on answering that particular question, so Buck did it for him, continuing the conversation he was in no way going to forget any time soon.

“Maybe we should get _you_ to do it then. _Shake your hips_ , as you say,” Buck quipped, and oh, _that_ immediately got his attention, his eyes turning flirty. 

“Is that what you think it is? A mating ritual?” Eddie grinned, bumping his hip gently with his own, and Buck briefly wondered how flexible those hips really were. He was definitely going to ask Abuela and Pepa, there had to be _videos_. Maybe even on Youtube-

Shaking his head, Buck forced himself to return to the present, remembering Eddie’s earlier teasing remark. 

“You _did_ say you would - what was it? Oh yes, _court me_ for the rest of my life. Going back on your words already, Diaz?” Buck raised an eyebrow haughtily, grinning as Eddie’s eyes darkened visibly at his tongue flicking out to wet his lower lip. 

“ _Never_.” 

It was instantaneous, the way that one word immediately spurred electricity to run down Buck’s spine, the sparks making even his toes tingle. Their gazes locked in an almost-painful stalemate, neither of them looking away from the raw emotion igniting in their veins. 

_How many ways can this man kill him with pure affection?_

Glancing down at Christopher, smiling at how engrossed he was in watching the bird in front of them. Taking advantage of the distraction, he leaned in to press a quick, lingering kiss against Eddie’s cheek. He smiled at the arm that slowly snaked along his lower back, tugging him in closer. Eddie’s palms were exceptionally warm as they squeezed at his hip, running a thumb languidly in circles through his shirt. His fingers were twitching as if itching to sneak under the soft fabric to touch warm skin. 

“Do you ever think about...ah, giving private lessons?” Buck asked casually, smiling at the kiss that was pressed to the corner of his lips. 

“Anything for you, Buck, _anything_ for you.” 

As if feeling the shift of the air around them at those words, the snowy egret slowly unruffled its feathers, spreading its wings. The three of them watched, enthralled as the bird bent down slowly, powerful wings beating to glide across the water, before disappearing into the distance. 

“Aww, I forgot to take a photo,” Christopher pouted, eyes lowering sadly and Buck shook his head, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Nature is always prettier through our own eyes, Chris. Not through a screen. Besides, you’ll remember this moment for a long time, right?” Buck said gently, smiling as Christopher immediately brightened at that, his toothy smile restoring itself on his face. 

“Right!” 

They continued their leisurely stroll, deciding to just see where their aimless wandering took them, and Eddie’s eyes brightened at a particular flower lining the path beside them. 

“You see these?” Eddie pointed. Buck and Christopher exchanged a look, leaning closer to where he was pointing to see violet petals shaped in an odd arrangement along a long stem. The mini tower of flowers seemed to tug at a residing memory, but Buck couldn’t quite remember where he had seen these before. 

“These flowers are called ‘purple chinese houses.’ They were given this peculiar name because they’re styled like Chinese pagodas,” Eddie explained, and just like that, the memory clicked into place. He had remembered doing a history project with Chris once on Ancient China, and the odd structure of the pagodas had caught their eye. Still, he couldn’t help teasing Eddie a little. 

“Wow Chris, your dad really does have a thing for flowers. It’s strangely endearing,” Buck grinned, nudging Eddie teasingly as Christopher giggled. 

“Says the guy who has an entire bird encyclopedia inside his head. And flowers are...they’re - it’s not a crime to admire beauty once in a while,” Eddie huffed, lower lip jutting out slightly in a pout. 

“Beauty, huh? I think I’ve got that covered,” Buck winked playfully, watching as the pout quickly turned into a mischievous grin as Eddie turned his head to grin at him, laughter shimmering in his gaze. 

“They certainly won’t respond or bloom to your obviously very fluent Chinese, that’s for sure,” Eddie teased, laughing outright at Buck’s outrageous gasp. He looked down at Christopher mock-seriously, crossing his arms. 

“Don’t listen to him, Chris. It’s _Mandarin_ , not Chinese, we have to be _specific,_ ” Buck said matter-of-factually, lips tugging up into a smile when Christopher grinned. 

“Okay _boomer,_ ” Eddie scoffed. Christopher was just laughing unabashedly now at their antics, shaking his head as if wondering why he ever thought the two men dating was a good idea. Buck narrowed his eyes, reaching out a hand to shove at Eddie halfheartedly. 

“Excuse you. Need I remind you who’s the old man in this relationship? Because it certainly isn’t me.” Buck raised an eyebrow in challenge, reaching down to carefully cover Christopher’s ears, smiling sheepishly at the eye-roll he received. 

“Oh, so _now_ I’m an old man? I don’t quite remember this being a problem _before,_ ” Eddie said heatedly, molten eyes flickering between amusement and blatant _hunger_ , forcing Buck to close his eyes, breathing in sharply to try and calm down his quickening heartbeat at the insinuation. 

_Deep breaths, Buckley. You’re still in public, and have a reputation to maintain_. 

“Bucky! Look! There’s a duck with a bright blue beak!” Christopher shouted, effectively distracting them from their flirty dalliance, and Buck released the hands covering Christopher’s ears. The kid seemed to know exactly what he had interrupted, his eyes unimpressed as they seemed to yell _‘can’t you and Daddy flirt somewhere else?’_ causing Buck to ruffle his hair at the adorable pout on his lips. 

_‘To be continued, Buckley_.’ Eddie winked promisingly at him, and Buck chuckled before they both turned to look where Christopher was pointing at. The duck that greeted them this time was fairly plain looking, its brown feathers glistening vividly in the sunlight, but its bright turquoise beak accentuated its aesthetic. 

“That’s a Ruddy duck. Even though they’re the ones usually bullied by the other birds, they’re fiercely protective of their young. When it comes to their family, they’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure they’re safe. Or I guess in this case, beak and...webbed feet.” Buck mused, wrapping an arm around Eddie’s shoulders loosely, who responded by tightening his hold around his waist. 

“Just like you and Daddy.” 

The words were soft, _affectionate_ , but still matter-of-fact, and Buck felt warmth flowing through his body in waves, leaning into Eddie’s hold while placing a hand on Christopher’s shoulder. He turned to meet Eddie’s gaze, their heads automatically angling towards one another as they gazed down at their son. 

“Yeah. _Yeah_ , exactly,” Buck murmured tenderly, watching as Eddie carded his fingers through Christopher’s curls, tugging lightly on a few loose strands. Seeing that Christopher’s eyes were entirely content in tracing after the brilliant blue beak glistening in the sun, he turned to Eddie with a question on the tip of his tongue. 

“So. Why Micah-Adrian? Not that it isn’t a wonderful choice, but isn't it a mouthful? And a pain to fill out on paper?” Buck asked, watching as Eddie hummed contemplatively, eyes turning a touch wistful. 

“There’s...not that much of a story to it, actually,” Eddie started, shrugging before continuing. “Shannon and I were indecisive since her family wanted Adrian, while mine were set on Micah. So we compromised,” Eddie explained, and Buck squeezed his shoulder in comfort, knowing that talking about his deceased ex-wife still wasn’t easy. 

“It’s a good name,” Buck murmured gently, and Eddie smiled, looking down at Christopher with emotion misting his gaze. 

“Yeah. But he’s Christopher Micah Diaz on all his official documents.” Eddie couldn’t help a smirk at that and Buck snorted, shaking his head in fond exasperation. 

“A _compromise_ , huh?” 

“Obviously.” 

Noticing that they had been walking in the arboretum for close to three and a half hours now, Buck tapped Christopher on the shoulder, effectively bringing him out of his daze. He raised an inquiring eyebrow, and he immediately nodded, a secretive smile tugging on his lips. 

“Okay! Time for the next activity, come on.” Buck laughed as Christopher cheered, knowing that the next part was one of his favourites, mostly because of the fact that he had helped in prepping it.

“There’s more?” Eddie blinked rapidly, stunned. 

“Of _course_ there’s more! We’re not even close to being done, Daddy,” Christopher beamed, moving his crutches faster on the ground to walk in front of them, eager to head back to their car. Buck tugged Eddie in closer, pressing a soft kiss on his temple. 

“Just go with the flow, babe,” Buck grinned, earning a halfhearted glare as his boyfriend looked around them once more serenely. His eyebrows then furrowed slightly when he caught sight of something, as if a little baffled. 

“How on Earth did we actually manage to spot all those birds today? Even the workers told us not to get our hopes up.” Eddie hummed, shaking his head as he remembered the astonishing number of species they had been privileged to witness. 

Buck’s eyes trailed to the small bundle of joy speed walking in front of them, a bright flare of joy lighting up his very core. Turning to catch Eddie’s gaze, they shared an affectionate, _knowing_ look, the answer resonating in their hearts. 

Christopher paused in front of them to wave at another couple of belted kingfishers, the snow egret from earlier gliding across the water just adjacent to them. It was a little uncanny, at how the species seemed to revolve around _Christopher_. 

“It’s because we have our own lucky charm, Eds. That’s why.”

* * *

It took a lot out of them to prepare the next part of the date.

But hands down, the part that took _the longest_ was getting Eddie Diaz to _shut the fuck up and stay in his seat._

“Daddy! It’s supposed to be a surprise,” Christopher whined, crossing his arms over his little chest. He looked far too adorable to be actually threatening but Eddie’s mouth dropped open all the same.

“But at least let me come see it! It’s a surprise for me, after all.”

“Babe,” Buck interjected, grabbing Eddie’s hand. “It’s not something to see, we’re just picking a few things up here. Look, we’ve got this. Trust me. I promise you, you’ll at the very least, like it.”

“No, he’ll love it,” Christopher interrupted stubbornly, still petulant that his dad wasn’t letting them do this. But the slight frown after the amazing day they had so far was wavering Eddie’s own resolve, so Buck pounced on the opportunity to shatter it completely.

“Just trust us. I’m not going to blindfold you, but when you hear us, you have to close your eyes.” Eddie would get all kinds of triggered if he couldn’t see while sitting in the parking lot of Buck’s apartment, and Buck himself didn’t want to put Eddie in a position like that. _He_ felt triggered just by the thought.

“I’m a hundred percent sure I didn’t keep this many secrets on our first date,” Eddie said in defeat. “Okay, but I still say that too many surprises can’t be good for my heart.”

Christopher cheered the second his dad gave in while Buck scoffed, tapping his boyfriend’s chest where said heart beat steadily. “That’s mine anyway.”

With a cheeky grin and another wink, Buck exited his car, leaving Eddie gaping after him. He and Christopher walked up to his apartment.

It took them a few days to schedule themselves enough time to be able to make their picnic. Buck and Christopher had slaved away for a solid three hours to make a random assortment of Eddie’s favourites from Abuela and Bobby’s recipes. In the meanwhile, Abuela had kept Eddie distracted for them, laughing merrily on the phone when the two of them told her of their plan.

There were a few dishes that were Christopher’s favourites too, because Buck couldn’t forget his little man. He’d made those afterwards, and now all the containers were stuck haphazardly in his fridge along with mini appetizers and cold drinks. After the hot and sticky day they’d had, they could use something to cool down.

Because of how their shifts had lined up and how they had to hide the entire ordeal from Eddie, Buck and Christopher couldn’t finish making _all_ of the food together. They’d assembled a small chocolate mousse together while Eddie was in the shower one night, and then quickly covered the dish in a plastic bag to store in the fridge so it looked inconspicuous.

And if both Buck and Christopher had smudges of chocolate on their faces at the end of it, that was no one’s business but their own.

They got to work quickly, knowing Eddie was getting antsy downstairs. Buck pulled out the cold containers and placed them gingerly in the cooler box he’d borrowed from Hen under the guise of a party, while Christopher held the lid open. 

Buck had wanted to bring hot food to their picnic, but because of how they’d planned their day, they couldn’t afford to stop and warm everything. Not without taking even longer. Plus it was probably not smart anyway.

“The food should stay...good, right?” Christopher asked, a little concerned as they peered into the precariously closed cooler, but Buck immediately waved away any doubt clouding his mind. 

“Of course. You and I made sure to put all the temperature-sensitive food in here. The rest will be fine since it’s only a few minutes away.” Buck reassured, making sure it was locked shut. There were one or two things that would taste gross cold, so Buck had stopped by his apartment on his morning expedition to set them out. He put those in an old wicker basket he hadn’t even known he had.

“What else?” 

Buck hummed, looking around his apartment and running through a mental checklist. “Okay, we need to grab the picnic blanket. And the couch cushions. I think everything else is at your house.”

Christopher laughed when he saw the typical red-and-white checkered pattern on the extra-large blanket. “It’s like the movies.”

“Borrowed that from Cap.” 

They looked between the wicket basket, blanket, and the cooler before bursting into loud laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of the image.

It would take at least two trips for them to carry all these things down to the car. Christopher draped the picnic blanket over his shoulders before propping the door for Buck to shimmy through with both baskets. He’d have to come back for the other stuff later.

Buck stuck his head in Eddie’s visual field, making sure to hide everything he was holding behind the wall they were cowering behind. Eddie caught sight of him, then something a little lower and started to laugh, bringing his phone up for a picture through the open window.

He was so confused until he looked down and found Christopher peering out the same way Buck was, making them look like one of those cartoon spies hiding along a wall. Naturally, the two of them had to strike a few ridiculous poses too, laughing the whole while.

“Close your eyes!” Buck called out once Eddie was finished. His boyfriend threw his hands up dramatically before clapping them over his face.

 _‘This is literally ‘Mission Impossible’ as a reality TV show.’_ Buck thought, grinning at how obedient Eddie was being now, absently wondering exactly how much he could've possibly gotten away with had they not been pressed for time. 

“How mad do you think your dad would be if we just left him in there while we go have some fun at the amusement park?” Buck whispered, adjusting the cooler strap higher on his shoulders for a better balance. Christopher let out a quiet laugh, face scrunching up in amusement. 

“I think he’ll make us sleep in the doggy house, Bucky.” 

“We don’t have a doggy house, Chris.” 

“Daddy will _build_ one. He’s...he’s petty,” Christopher giggled, and Buck nearly dropped the cooler at that, breathing in sharply to hold back a short burst of laughter. Petty was never a word he’d have associated with Eddie Diaz, but if the shoe fit... 

He saw Eddie tilting his head closer to the window as if trying to listen in, and tried his best to even his breathing. 

“We are definitely going to have a talk with your Aunt Athena next time we see her,” Buck chuckled under his breath, making a pose as if he was going to chase after him, making Christopher tilt his head back, eyes closed giddily in barely suppressed laughter. 

They waddled as fast as they could to the Jeep, opening the back to set each part of the surprise down. In went the cooler, followed by the wicker basket and the picnic blanket.

“Distract your dad, I’ll grab the rest of the stuff,” Buck whispered to his partner in crime as he helped Chris back into the car. Eddie pretended he wasn’t listening but dragged Buck in for a quick kiss between the console before he sprinted upstairs.

There was one thing that he hadn’t shown Christopher. That surprise for the kid went into a smaller cooler to hide in the backseat. Buck picked up the industrial sized-bag with the rest of the pillows and blankets.

He stood in the door for a second, arms laden with precious cargo to reflect on the day to himself. It had been chaotic for sure, and they’d gotten a lot of things done. Eddie seemed happy and touched, which was far more than enough for him.

Eddie worked far too hard to stay underappreciated, and Buck was damn well going to show him that. Not to forget that Christopher’s help and involvement in the entire plan had been enormous, and Buck was so grateful for this little family of his.

Smiling to himself, he walked back down with the rest of the stuff. Just like before, he peeked around the corner to make sure his boyfriend wasn’t looking, letting out a shrill whistle between his teeth for Chris.

The kid turned to look at him through the window before leaning forward to press his palms on his dad’s eyes, nodding with all the seriousness of a nine-year-old. The action was adorable as well as hilarious, that even Eddie’s shoulders were shaking with his laughter.

“We weren’t even close to being this secretive about any of our missions, or tours.” He remarked as Buck started the car up again, peeking in the rear view to make sure everything was out of Eddie’s view. “What are you two up to, anyway?”

“Just showing you we love you.” Buck answered simply. Eddie’s expression softened as he reached over the console to place a hand on Buck’s thigh.

“I already knew even without all of this, you know? I love you too, _both of you_ , so much.”

“We wanted to, Eds, do I really need a reason to take you out on a date? Think of this as...a means of appreciating everything that you are to us.”

“Yeah!” Christopher added, not one to be left out. Buck dropped one hand over Eddie’s and tangled their fingers together, smiling at his boyfriend but not saying anything more. It felt like all his words were once again stuck in his throat, sluggish with the weight of contentment that surrounded him.

They pulled up to the park, Buck tossing Eddie a warning to stay near the front without looking in the backseat. 

Buck passed Eddie the wicker basket, hung the picnic blanket around Christopher’s neck and took the main cooler in hand, shutting the trunk before either Diaz boy could catch sight of whatever else was inside.

“You guys made a picnic?” he asked incredulously, looking on with another one of those looks that told Buck that he was too overwhelmed to properly articulate anything.

“We’ve been trying to do the picnic thing for a while, and we needed to kill time between the arboretum and the last part of our date so...here we go.”

“Is this Bobby’s?” Eddie touched two fingers to the light cloth hanging around his son’s neck, smoothing down a few stray curls in the process.

“Yup. And this is Hen’s.” Buck patted the top of the cooler, setting it down near a tree and reaching for the blanket. 

They quickly got themselves situated on the large blanket. The spot they picked out was gorgeous, with a large tree providing them with some reprieve from the blazing sun. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves above them, and the humidity and warmth of the day wrapped around them like a cozy blanket as they sat cross-legged.

Buck had obsessively checked the weather over and over just to make sure everything was perfect, and as luck would have it, it _was_. There were only a few sparse clouds covering the sky, which gave Buck hope for the final part of their date.

Eddie’s jaw dropped open as he flipped open the cooler, neck snapping up to look at Buck. “You two made all this? At home?”

“Yeah! I helped!” Christopher said, reaching for one of the sandwiches they made.

“It was hell to figure out the menu. I wanted to bring hot food, but the timing was a little difficult, so we couldn’t make that happen,” Buck admitted as he poured out glasses of watermelon lemonade. It was one of Bobby’s lesser-famous drinks but on a day like this, it hit _so_ differently. “Abuela helped us figure it out actually.”

“Even Abuela was in on this?!”

“Of course she was, why do you think she wanted a new coat of paint on the deck one month after the first one?” Eddie looked speechless at that, and at the sheer amount of containers he was now pulling out from the cooler.

Chilled fruit, Abuela’s pasta salad, sandwiches, mini quesadillas, lettuce wraps, Mexican street corn, a potato salad recipe that he was still experimenting with, mango pudding, and the mousse.

Buck opened the wicker basket to take out the bread rolls he’d bought, mini quiche appetizers Chris loved, making sure to get out the bottle of hand sanitizer and pack of hand wipes before finally taking out the disposable plates and utensils.

“Buck this is…” Eddie’s voice trailed off as he looked around the now-full blanket. There was hardly enough space for them to move. He was glad Eddie liked it, but there was a knot of nervousness about the taste. A lot of the things on their table were things Buck hadn’t made before.

“See, Bucky! I told you he’d love it,” Christopher goaded, stuffing one of the quiches in his mouth. Eddie laughed, wiping off a stray crumb.

“I love everything you two do for me. Thank you.” Eddie pulled Buck into a sweet kiss over the pasta salad before picking up the plates to start serving it.

“Like I said, we’ve been trying to do this forever,” Buck pointed out, picking up one of the lettuce wraps. He hadn’t realized just how famished he was until he bit into it. “OH. Man, not to toot our own horn but we’re geniuses!”

Christopher and Buck high-fived, all three of them eagerly scarfing down the food.

“It’s so good, you guys did great,” Eddie moaned around a bite of the potato salad, complimenting them freely. Buck could tell it was genuine, which loosened the knot in his stomach. 

As they ate, Christopher tried to convince him that they owed him _five_ scoops of ice cream instead of two.

“How? You won the first bet about Buck, which was two scoops. The second bet was between Buck and I.”

Christopher shook his head, nudging two pieces of pasta together to explain. “I got two scoops because you under-underestimated Bucky.”

“Excuse me, mister, I do recall someone else being just as shocked,” Eddie teased his son as Buck choked on the bite in his mouth. He took a swig of his lemonade to ease his throat, letting out a boisterous laugh at the reminder of their expressions.

“Daddy, you have to listen,” Christopher admonished. Eddie’s eyebrows shot up, but he listened. Buck looked on silently with a large grin on his face. “Then you said three scoops if I hit a bullseye. Which I did. Lots of times.”

“But that bet was between Buck and I.”

“But I made the shot! So those scoops also belong to me. And two plus three is five, so you owe me five scoops,” he reasoned, counting each pasta piece slowly to spell it out for them. Buck and Eddie exchanged a bemused look, both of them swallowing the laughter bubbling up in their throats.

They couldn’t quite argue with that logic, as entertaining as it was.

“Oof, I don’t think I’m going to move for the next century,” Eddie groaned, rubbing a hand over his stomach as they packed all the empty containers away. They had somehow managed to finish everything, even the mousse. They hadn’t made that much of each individual dish anyway so Buck supposed it was bound to happen.

“That cloud looks like a horse.” Christopher pointed upwards at the small fluffy thing they could see from the treeline. They had laid down with their full stomachs to stare up at the different clouds they could see through the tree cover. It probably wasn’t quite that smart, but they were currently too stuffed to care.

They took turns naming things each cloud looked like, but after their long shift and early start, plus the strenuous activities of the morning, exhaustion lurked in all three of them. The comforting warmth of the sun and their full stomachs did nothing to help the drowsiness as they hovered between sleep and wake. 

Before they knew it, all three of them had fallen asleep.

Buck came back to life flat on his stomach, Christopher cradled to his side. The kid’s glasses were crooked on his face as he slept, which Buck fixed slightly. Eddie had an arm slung around the both of them, holding them close, mouth slightly open. 

He pawed around for his phone, cursing himself for their stupidity. They just...fell asleep in a public park without a care in the world, never mind all the valuables that were on them.

His eyes widened when he caught sight that it was already 6. They had slept for _two freaking hours,_ right on this picnic blanket. 

Still feeling sleep-wrinkled beyond repair, Buck’s movements were sluggish as he shook Christopher awake. They had to get a move on if they wanted to make it to the next part of their date.

“Chris,” Buck said gently, wincing at the sound of his gruffer-than-normal voice, hoping that the kid wouldn’t get cranky from being abruptly woken up. To his surprise, Chris just blinked his eyes open wearily, looking up at Buck through the haze of sleep.

“Where are we?” Christopher asked groggily, catching sight of the tree behind Buck.

“We fell asleep on our picnic blanket. It’s six o’clock, we have to go if we want to get set up for the last part of our date,” he whispered. Chris nodded and turned to his dad, who was softly snoring.

Buck almost regretted having to wake him up, but the park wasn’t any place to sleep and technically, the last part of their date was basically the same thing. 

“Daddy.” Chris shook his dad lightly, knowing by now not to startle him.

“Hmm,” Eddie mumbled in his sleep, turning his head the other way and snuffling cutely. That was weird; Eddie was always up like a rocket when Chris called out for him. Buck and Christopher exchanged a look and shrugged. So he tried next.

He leaned down near his boyfriend, gently running his fingers through his hair. “Eddie,” Buck whispered. “Time to get up, baby.”

Sleepy Eddie was Buck’s favourite brand of Eddie Diaz, because there was something about being trusted with his vulnerability that did weird things to Buck’s insides. Coupled with the half-lidded eyes, rough voice, and morning stubble? Buck was convinced his boyfriend was the hottest person to exist.

“It’s not morning yet, leave me alone,” he said drowsily before letting out a deep breath and snuggling better into the ground. That’s when he must’ve realized that he wasn’t in his bed, rather outside. “What the...”

Buck clapped a hand over his mouth, wincing as Eddie glared at him from over it before realizing that Buck had just stopped him from swearing in front of his son.

“We fell asleep. But we have one last thing, and it’s not intensive at all.” Buck thought about it for a minute before tacking on, “for you, at least.”

Christopher giggled from where he was watching the two of them. “Daddy, your hair looks like that bird.”

It really did. There were tufts sticking up everywhere, having got out of the hold of his gel but Eddie looked least bothered as he patted it down absently, yawning blatantly. “The bird and I are kindred spirits.” Eddie’s voice was still rough with sleep.

They stumbled to the car with all the supplies, all three of them still swinging precariously between the exhaustion that came with a hardcore nap, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Thankfully everything had lost a few pounds, making it easier to carry since they finished the food that made up the majority of the weight. 

“Coffee?” Buck asked Eddie in passing, since he was already driving towards the nearest coffee shop.

“Please,” Eddie said. He pulled into a random drive-thru and ordered a black tea for himself and Eddie’s criminally sweet coffee. “Chris, you want anything?”

Christ thought about it before piping up with an “orange juice!” Smiling absently at the memory of a particular part of their first date, Buck shot Eddie a look to ask for permission, who just raised an eyebrow at him.

Right, he was allowed to make these decisions.

Eddie practically inhaled his coffee before they even got home. The sounds of Christopher’s straw slurping echoed over the radio they’d turned on low. They sat in relative silence, basking in each other’s warmth.

By the time they parked in the driveway, all three of them were wide awake again, eagerly bouncing around.

Time to begin the final phase of their date. 

* * *

“Evan Oliver Buckley and Christopher Micah-Adrian Diaz! You are not about to kick me out of my own house!” Eddie yelled through the door. Buck and Christopher exchanged what seemed like their thousandth look since this morning.

“Didn’t I tell him about the middle names?” Christopher rolled his eyes before yelling back. “It’s my house too, Dad!” He shrugged before walking away without a second thought. His crutches clacked merrily against the wooden floor as he snorted at his father’s antics. 

“Yeah Edmundo _Rafael_ Diaz! Go entertain yourself for an hour,” Buck said, laughing at how unconcerned the kid was. 

The three of them had come back to wash their faces with cold water, freshen up and all, but with a little trickery, Buck and Christopher had coaxed Eddie outside and slammed the door in his face, citing that he needed to wait an hour.

“I thought this was supposed to be a date!” 

“Aw Eds, remember our first date? When you just absolutely _refused_ to tell me where we were going?”

“But that was a maximum of three things! This is like...everything’s a secret!” Eddie argued, making Buck roll his eyes.

“That’s because we had to save a life; I’m sure you had a lot of the other things planned. Now go do something that’s not in the vicinity of this house, for Chris and I.” Buck knew he’d cave immediately with that proviso, and he wasn’t beyond playing dirty.

“...I’m going to go find something to do. Save some baby elephants, volunteer with UNICEF. Maybe even adopt some baby pandas along the way.” 

“Glad we agree. Don’t come back until we tell you to.” He ignored the almost petulant remark given at the end and propped the door open an inch to gauge his boyfriend’s flabbergasted look, then shrugged and shut the door in his face again. Vaguely, he could hear Eddie muttering a few choice words under his breath.

Buck elected to ignore him.

He followed Chris, dragging their supplies out from a carefully-hidden spot in the kid’s bedroom. There were blankets, a few pillows, extra sheets and neatly-wrapped Christmas lights Buck had found lying around his apartment. They’d hidden all of the stuff very carefully underneath the bed on the far side of the room, concealing it completely from Eddie’s point of view.

“Okay, buddy, this needs to be perfect,” Buck spoke distractedly, looking around the entire backyard. There was plenty of space for them to just set up a bunch of cushions on the grass. It probably wouldn’t be smart but they could manage.

Chris and Buck walked over to the center of the small yard, away from the dirt-caked edges. It was going to be a bitch to make the bugs stay away but they’d manage it somehow.

“We can lay this down first, then put the cushions,” Chris suggested. Buck agreed and grabbed the large white blanket from the pile. They worked quickly to cover the grass, securing the corners with rocks. 

Buck smacked his head when he realized the nice pillows were still in the backseat of his Jeep. “Wait, I’m going to grab the cushions from my car.”

He fetched them, staggering into the backyard with the whole pile of them. Buck had pulled them off his couch because they were infinitely better to lay down on. There was also an air mattress for them to put as a base, the one Maddie had bought him when he was in between places. 

Christopher took great pride in being able to set up the air pump, flicking the switch with a childlike glee. The soft hum of the mattress slowly inflating filled the backyard as they started sorting out which pillows to use and which not to.

“Bucky, you were supposed to get the balloons from Mr. Kit’s house!” Christopher reminded him suddenly. His eyes widened at that, and he ushered Chris out the door, not about to leave him in the backyard alone at all. The kid waved at the amused young man who had moved in a few months ago next to the Diaz family.

They’d become friendly neighbors, and by extension, Buck too. There was no way they could’ve hid these huge balloons anywhere in the Diaz household or at Buck’s apartment, so Buck had asked Kit for a small favour.

“Kicked Eddie out for this?” Kit laughed, passing Buck the clear strings anchoring the helium balloons to Earth, each singular balloon coming with its own weight at the bottom and a similarly-colored streamer spiral thing that Maddie would appreciate.

“He’s...a little bit of a control freak, and when he doesn’t know things, it drives him up the wall. So, naturally Chris and I made him leave,” Buck shrugged goodnaturedly, smiling at his boyfriend’s antics.

“He came here to hang out and I panicked and told him I had _company,_ ” Kit laughed, a flush of embarrassment surrounding the insinuation. Buck only chuckled with him, Christopher blissfully unaware.

Buck caught sight of a framed photo of Kit with a slender dark-haired man with headphones around his neck. They had their arms flung around each other’s shoulders, grinning happily at one another with a twinkle in their eyes. It was an intimate photo, but not glaringly so, much like he and Eddie were outside the privacy of their own home. 

Kit followed his gaze, his face flashing with an unnamed emotion as his gaze landed on the photo. Buck wisely didn’t ask about it, even as curiosity burned in his gut. The unmistakable look of discomfort and seeing how tight Kit’s face was had gotten a hold of his tongue. It was a feeling he was well-familiar with.

So he changed the subject. “Thanks for keeping these for us, we owe you one.” He gestured to the foil balloons in his hand.

Kit looked relieved at the change of topic but shook his head. “It’s not a problem. Worth it to see Eddie yelling at his own door. And to see him turn scarlet because he thought he interrupted something.”

“Daddy got im-impatient,” Christopher piped up, deliberating pronouncing the word to make sure it was correct. They all laughed before Chris and Buck quickly bid Kit bye, hustling out the door just as fast as they’d come in.

“I want all the details!” the younger man called after them. Buck promised him with a small salute, struggling to push the multiple large balloons into the house. The two glanced around the entire outdoor periphery of the house to make sure Eddie wasn’t hiding anywhere, but his truck was missing from the driveway, so they took it as a good sign.

“Why are these made out of foil? I thought balloons were made out of rubber or something.”

“The foil ones don’t pop,” Buck explained. That was the main reason, because he definitely didn’t want to trigger Eddie in case one decided to pop with the startling noise. “Plus, we can deflate them with a straw, and then re-inflate them later. They last longer too.” 

Buck had dropped the entire harrowing bundle off with Kit before he’d shown up at Eddie’s yesterday, so this was the first time Chris was seeing them. There was a random assortment of heart-shaped balloons in varying colors of pink, red, silver and white. Because of the 18-inch size of them, they would last for at least two weeks even if they didn’t deflate them.

Kit had stared at him slack-jawed but had let him in immediately before telling him that Eddie was a lucky man. Just like he’d told Flora, he told Kit that _he_ was the lucky one.

A double Diaz package for the price of one? Sign him the fuck up.

“Ooh, they’re pretty and shiny” Christopher reached out to grab the clip holding all the balloons in one stack, running a finger around the edge of a silver one. Buck agreed, admiring the glimmer of them in the dimming light. They could spread and tie down the balloons all over the backyard, without fear of them popping. The multi-colored Christmas lights would make them twinkle as well. 

Seeing that 25 minutes had already passed, him and Christopher got to work splitting all the balloons up and making sure they were evenly spaced around the yard. Then, Buck thought that looked stupid so they tried to make it look a little more natural with a random assortment.

“I should’ve asked Karen or Maddie to teach us how to design things,” Buck grumbled as he tried to fasten the helium balloon to the fence for the thousandth time. He didn’t want them to be swaying on their weights, so he stuck them up as best as he could, hoping they’d look good.

On the other side of the porch, Christopher was working on untangling the stack of lights carefully. “It still looks really good, Bucky. We have to put the word balloons in the center.”

Ah, that was the other thing that had caught Buck. There were also letter balloons, written in a looping script that spelled out “I love you.” The “I” and “you” were in rose gold, but the “love” was emphasized in a starling red that stood out against the pale grey paint of the back fence. It would be the first thing Eddie would see when he stepped out.

Buck had poured over party websites for four days before he managed to find all the letters. He’d warred with himself about ordering “I” or “we” before Christopher had told him that it was his date, so ‘I love you’ sounded better. They’d taken point together on a lot of things, but this last part was pretty much...all Buck’s.

He aligned all those properly before taping them to the fence to make them stay in place. He made sure to make the letters of “love” and “you” stay close together so it looked like a cursive declaration painted across the back wall.

“Bucky, I’m done with the lights!” Christopher cheered triumphantly, holding up the power end of the lanyard. Buck grinned at him as he taped the last “u” in place, stepping back to admire the work.

“Great job, buddy. We should turn these off to stargaze, but I think it’ll look too pretty to turn off.” Buck mused as he took the cords and started stringing them over the bushes that lined the sides, looping them around the balloons as well. There was one tree in the yard that he could decorate as well, turning the entire space into something out of a fairy tale, especially with the blankets and balloons.

Buck stretched to try to put the strings up on the high branch but found that he couldn’t reach past the first branch.

“What use is this six-foot-two height if I can’t even hang these up? Rude,” Buck babbled, his nervous jitters getting the best of him.

“Just put me on your shoulders. I can reach it,” Christopher sighed, looking exasperated with him. He complied, holding tightly to the kid’s legs as he started looping them around the branches with an expertise he’d gotten from _somewhere_ . It took them far longer than it should’ve because they were so busy stumbling. Christopher was using Buck’s hair as a steering wheel to make him go left or right, which made him feel like Linguini from _Ratatouille_. 

“Ouch, my scalp hurts.” Buck rubbed a hand through the stinging sensation after he set Chris safely on the ground, trying to smooth it back into place. “You’re not as tiny as Remy, you know.” The child simply rolled his eyes at that, still laughing loudly at his dramatics.

By the time the external decorations were ready, the air mattress was completely inflated as well. They stretched a fitted sheet over it, Christopher giggling as Buck tripped trying to put the corners in.

“Yeah, laugh it up,” Buck muttered, dusting himself off as he glared at the sheet like it had personally offended him. He was _not_ trying to get injured out here. “The things I do for your dad.”

“ _We_ did this, Bucky.”

“I didn’t see _you_ putting the sheet on.” He raised an eyebrow, grateful anyway. 

Christopher shrugged nonchalantly, looking like the spitting copy of his dad. “That’s an adult thing to do.”

“Wow, kid. I see how it is,” Buck gasped in indignation, thoroughly betrayed. They threw all the pillows onto the makeshift bed and plugged in the lights, looking around in admiration.

Vaguely, he’d worried that the opposing designs would make the entire decor look tacky but pleasantly, everything fell into place. The pillows looked a little weird though, being so mismatched in a large quantity even though they’d been picky about which ones to use. 

They’d laid thick blankets onto the makeshift bed to round it out so they could snuggle in together. The sun gently setting in the background brought with it a cool breeze, rustling the leaves and blankets around them, the balloons swaying precariously.

Speaking of the balloons, the bright bursts of orange across the sky reflected in the shimmer of the foil, overpowering the multi-colored glow of the Christmas lights. Each heart looked like it was streaked with fire, except for the looping scripts in the center.

 _A fitting image_ , Buck thought to himself.

He propped his hands on his hips, drinking in the look of the backyard as Chris did the same. The two exchanged an approving nod. 

“Think we can call your dad now?” 

Christopher stared around critically before using a crutch to nudge a blanket back onto the mattress from where it was tipping. “Yeah.”

Buck stifled the bubble of laughter in his throat and pulled out his phone. Eddie picked up on the first ring, huffing loudly into the receiver.

“Can I come home now?”

No _‘how are you two doing?’_ or _‘hey baby, I missed you.’_ Instead, he was greeted with five words spoken in quick succession, as if Eddie had rehearsed them incessantly beforehand and was just waiting for the phone call to come.

“Jeez, Diaz. A little patience wouldn’t kill you. It’s only been forty-seven minutes. Not even an hour.” Buck snorted.

“ _‘Only forty-seven minutes’_ he says.” Eddie mimicked Buck from their first date in a faux impression of his voice, the sound of an engine starting in the background. He rolled his eyes, widening them comically in exasperation for Christopher’s benefit.

“Your dad is far too dramatic for my taste.”

“I do seem to recall that I _was_ your taste.” 

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Buck replied automatically, falling into the easy banter they shared almost unconsciously. 

Christopher tugged on his shirt, looking at him disapprovingly. “Bucky, you’re supposed to be _romantic_. Argue tomorrow.” Eddie clearly heard his son’s words, the sound of his jubilant laugh filtering through the speakers. The unbridled sound had Buck smiling contentedly.

“Okay, you can come home. We’re in the backyard.” 

“Cool. See you soon, maybe 10 minutes? Love you both.”

The two of them beamed in excitement as the line disconnected. Buck hadn’t thought Eddie was one to say ‘I love you’ before ending every phone call, but he did. No matter how many times he heard it, it never failed to put a smile on his face.

Vaguely, he made a promise to himself to never let this “honeymoon phase” fade away from them.

Buck quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures of the entire set-up, sending one off to Kit with a big thank-you note. Then he lifted Chris carefully onto the mattress and took one of him in the entire yard.

“We need one with you too!” So Buck crouched down next to him and they took a selfie, the “I love you” balloons slightly blurred in the background above their heads.

“Let’s go grab the snacks. I have another surprise for both you _and_ your dad later,” Buck told Chris as he picked him up, smiling cheekily as the boy jolted, wondering when Buck had found the time to hide it from him.

“Tell me now!” 

“It’s a surprise, Chris! You’re not supposed to know about surprises.” Buck cocked an eyebrow at him, lifting him to the far counter.

The kid groaned in disappointment from his new perch. “But, Buck…” he stretched his name out, looking for an opening anywhere.

“You definitely got your dad’s impatience,” he laughed as he started popping popcorn on the stove. Buck personally hated microwave popcorn, so he always made it from scratch, much to the amusement of the Diaz boys. As he shook the pan, he continued talking. “The point of this date was that I was going to treat you two, remember?”

“Okay, but you have to show me first,” Christopher bargained with all the airs of a nine-year-old, just like he had with the ice cream. Buck moved him out of the way of the stove and agreed to his conditions bemusedly. Kids today were the smartest things on this planet; Buck had no hope in winning with one.

The sound of Eddie’s voice calling out to them came just as Buck and Christopher put the bowl of popcorn in the backyard, coupled with another bunch of chilled fruit and water bottles. 

They exchanged a gleeful glance as Eddie stopped suddenly in the entrance to the back porch, mouth falling open as he looked around the yard, drinking it all in. His eyes lingered on the declaration right in front of him.

Christopher was vibrating with his joy next to him, but as the seconds ticked on, Buck got more and more nervous about the entire thing, wondering if he’d done way too much. He studied Eddie’s expression, panicking when he saw them glistening slightly.

As if knowing exactly what he was thinking, Eddie wiped his face and held his hands out to them. Immediately, Buck and Christopher went to fall into his embrace.

“I don’t have any more words to say thank you, or that I love you two more than anything.” Eddie’s voice sounded hoarse, as if he was about to cry, so Buck pulled back to make sure he actually wasn’t.

Happy tears or not, Buck wasn’t trying to make his boyfriend sob.

“Come on.” Buck tangled his fingers with Eddie’s, tugging him gently down the steps. Christopher stepped carefully down, plopping down on the mattress. Before Buck and Eddie joined him, Eddie touched the side of his face, tilting it towards him.

He looked like he was trying to find words, so Buck was patient, letting him form a rough outline of what he wanted to say.

“This...what you two have done for me today...this means the absolute world to me. It’s been so perfect and I love you. And I know that this is it for me. Not because of all this,” Eddie gestured around to the decors, eyes sparkling with unfallen tears, “but because of who you two are. _My_ family.”

His tongue felt heavy under the weight of Eddie’s admission, the words branding themselves into the flesh of his heart. Buck thought that he could tattoo those words on his body for everyone to see.

Not trusting himself to speak, he pulled Eddie closer with an arm looped around his waist and snuck a look at Chris, who was distracted by...something.

Buck pulled his highly-amused boyfriend into a searing kiss, mapping his love onto Eddie’s skin frantically. He kept it short for the sake of the kid that couldn’t stay distracted forever, but his eyes felt damp with the strength of how much this entire thing _meant_ to him.

“If I wasn’t so afraid you’d faint, I’d propose to you. Right now,” Buck whispered, the kiss not leaving much self-preservation in him. His throat seized up as the words tore from him, afraid he’d scare Eddie away but the older man didn’t even flinch.

If anything, Eddie grinned at him widely, tapping his chest. “If I don’t beat you to it.”

Just like that, the heavy but comforting weight of the moment lifted. “Does everything need to be a competition?” Buck asked as the two climbed onto the air mattress, knocking a few pillows to the sheet beneath it. 

Eddie hummed noncommittally as he settled down. He blinked once he realized he was in the middle of Chris and Buck, which usually never happened. Chris was always nestled between the two of them.

This time, Buck and Christopher sandwiched him between them, snuggling close as possible until there was hardly an inch of space between them. It was getting a little chilly, so Buck threw the covers over the three of them, all of them flat on their back to look up at the diminishing light. The few clouds they’d seen earlier in the day were streaked across the sky in vivid purple and blues.

They didn’t need to say anything, wrapped up against the warmth of one another and drifting into serenity as the indigo of the setting sun melted into the ashen haze of the night. The faint roar of startling traffic broke through their little bubble

“Will we be able to see consta-constellations?” Christopher piped up after a few minutes from where his upper body was now sprawled on top of his father, watching as the moon’s glow fell over them.

“I think so. Probably not a lot, but some,” Buck answered, turning his face into the crook of Eddie’s neck to place a kiss before looking back up. He could vaguely make out the outline of one of the most famous constellations. “I think that one’s Gemini. See, it looks like a huge U shape. That’s all we can usually see without a telescope, but the constellation is actually two people holding hands.”

“Are they in love like you and Daddy?” The question was heart-meltingly innocent, and made Buck and Eddie chuckle, even as they exchanged an intimate smile.

“Nope, the two people represent twins, Castor and Pollux. Gemini means ‘twins.’” 

“It’s Abuela’s zodiac sign, I think,” Eddie added.

“What’s mine?”

“Hm...Taurus. They’re known to be intelligent and stubborn, which you are.” Eddie tickled his son, the sounds of their laughter washing over Buck. 

“Your dad’s a Virgo. That means he’s observant and fussy.” Buck couldn’t resist teasing, ruffling Christopher’s hair as he stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend. “They’re also dedicated and reliable.” He remembered reading that Virgos were great kissers, amazing in bed, loyal and problem-solvers. All things which described Eddie to the last letter (not that all of them were child-friendly). Buck didn’t even believe in zodiac personalities, but they were fun to read about anyway.

“Daddy’s awesome.” Christopher turned to share another high-five with Buck, patting his father’s side as he did so. Eddie laughed and kissed the top of his head. “What’s your sign, Buck?”

Buck pointed a little north of the Gemini constellation, where a faint tilted Y-shape could be seen. “Cancer. Latin for ‘crab.’”

“Cancerians are loyal, dependable, caring, moody and clingy,” Eddie teased back, shifting his arm to wrap around Buck’s shoulder to pull all three of them better together.

He snorted, looking pointedly at the way Eddie was holding him and Christopher tightly to his body. “ _I’m_ the clingy one.”

Eddie had the decency to appear sheepish which made Buck and Christopher laugh.

Another shit-eating grin took over Buck’s expression as he looked over to Eddie. There had been a line on a t-shirt he had seen in passing when he got distracted while Googling constellations. He had almost drowned his laptop with the mouthful of water he had drunk when he read it. So now, he brought it back up. “All these stars in the sky...and yet, they don’t even _begin_ to compare to the universe that shines in your eyes.” 

Eddie turned his head to gape at him incredulously while Christopher let out a retching sound, playfully pushing his dad away from him. “That was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard.” 

Buck laughed hysterically at the dumbstruck looks on their faces, the air mattress shaking under the effect of his laughter. “But it worked, didn’t it?” 

“ _Always,_ ” His boyfriend laughed, pressing a quick kiss against his forehead. “What are the other constellations?” Eddie asked, turning his gaze back upwards. Buck watched the straight slope of his jaw, partially hidden by Christopher’s wayward curls, work as they snacked on the fruit and popcorn between them.

That was a tricky question, because Buck honestly didn’t know. He only knew three constellations, out of which only two were visible tonight. He said the same to the Diaz boys, both who turned to look at him around mouthfuls of popcorn.

“You planned to stargaze and you don’t know the constellations?” Buck knew they were just joking, so he didn’t take it to heart, but still pretended to be offended by it all.

“I didn’t get the time to learn them! It’s been a long week!” he defended. Christopher, bless the sweet boy’s heart, struggled onto his knees to turn over in his dad’s arms and rest one tiny, clean hand on Eddie’s chest.

“It’s true. Bucky worked really hard for this.”

“Only Christopher loves me,” Buck lamented dramatically as he took Christopher from Eddie, wrapping him up tightly while the other man laughed. “But alas, because I love _both_ of you, I have just one last thing for you.”

“Your Buck always works really hard,” Eddie said as Buck got up, a soft but amused look in his eye. “It’s why I love him so much.”

Despite the blush taking over his expression, Buck ignored him and disappeared back inside to grab the mini cooler, forks, and small plates. Eddie was probably going to kill him for this but he could handle it for one day.

Both of them were eagerly sitting cross-legged on the mattress, talking about something when Buck came back out. He stopped in his tracks, watching the two boys who held his heart laugh unabashedly over whatever the conversation was about.

The balloons that read “I love you” above their heads seemed more than fitting for this...this _overwhelming_ feeling of contentment that drowned him, the feeling of pure happiness that he was still adjusting to.

It was hard, knowing that this belonged to him, that he got to have his share of the world’s niceties in the form of two people. Still, in moments like this, Buck could almost let himself believe the ethereal nature of it.

He patted his pocket for his phone and snapped a quick picture of them before they noticed him, setting it as his lock screen before he continued the rest of the way.

“Okay, so. Eddie, you have to promise not to kill me,” Buck said, setting the cooler down and passing him the plates.

“It’s sugar, isn’t it.”

Buck gave him a sheepish smile, propping it open. “We deserve it! Just this once.”

“Bucky, you promised I could see the surprise first,” Christopher reminded, crawling over his dad’s legs to peer inside. His face lit up at what he found, which made Buck grin wider.

It was a chocolate cake, nothing too fancy, but the way Christopher clapped, one would’ve thought that Buck had given him a pot of gold.

_God bless this kid._

“If you two are done, can I see it, too?” Eddie interjected, raising an eyebrow. Buck laughed and pulled the tray out. He’d decorated the entire thing in chocolate ganache and added a few strawberries drizzled in white chocolate on top. Sweet and simple.

This was the one thing he actually knew how to make without borrowing a recipe from someone. It was his guilty secret, which he was sharing now, having it on good record that both Diaz boys _loved_ chocolate cake.

“Did you make this?” Eddie asked as he sliced into it, cutting a discreetly-small slice for all three of them. 

“Yeah,” he said shyly, pointedly not looking at anyone as he accepted his own plate. It was a simple two-layer cake Buck had thrown together last minute, running off to a grocery store to get the specific ingredients.

“It’s so good, Buck! Can I have another piece?” Christopher pleaded, having practically licked his plate clean. The image was settling, even as Buck laughed at his puppy-dog eyes, alternating between Buck and Eddie. 

“Gotta ask your dad, kiddo.”

Buck practically _felt_ the disapproval wafting off Eddie. “No, you _can_ ask Buck, but it’s also nearing bedtime and you know that we’re not trying to get hyper this late. You can have some tomorrow,” he explained gently, giving him the last bite on his plate.

Christopher went to protest but a loud yawn interrupted all his argument, right on cue. Buck smiled softly at how weary he looked all of the sudden, the excitement draining at the sound of bed. Eddie chuckled at the same thing, stacking their dirty plates.

“Come on, superman, let’s get brushing. Gotta get all the sugar out of those pearly whites,” he prodded, pressing a chocolate kiss on Buck’s cheek as he stood up. “I’m gonna put him down for the night, be right back.”

“Want me to come?”

“Nah, this won’t take long. You want a beer when I come back?”

Buck shook his head. “Just you.” His words made Eddie smile widely as he bent down to pick up a slumping Chris.

“G’night Bucky, I love you,” the kid yawned blearily against Eddie’s shoulder.

“Love you too, little man.” Buck waved to him as he began to clean up a little around them.

It was all so domestic, enough that it closed his throat up. 

He had a vivid image of him and Eddie doing this for the rest of their lives, maybe with another kid or two in the mix. Maybe a daughter with Eddie’s hair and Buck’s eyes, or a son with a similar birthmark to him.

The sheer power of that image stole the breath from his lungs and nearly brought him down to his knees. It may have only been two weeks since their first date, dating for a little over a week before that, but Buck knew in his heart, just like Eddie had said, that this was _it_. 

Buck wasn’t sure if it was Chris’ earlier insinuation about the two of them getting married that brought all of it to the forefront of his mind, or if it was something else altogether. 

The thought of marrying someone not being as scary as it used to be, was a scary thought altogether. He’d never had the best models when it came to marriages during his formative years. His parents tolerated each other at best, made sure to keep up with their vows but that’s where it ended.

Not like him and Eddie, he realized. The two of them went out of their way to whisper about their love for one another, to smooth meaningful touches over each other’s skin. The prospect of being married with 2.5 kids wasn’t scary because it was _Eddie_.

“Buck?”

His boyfriend’s voice made him realize that he’d just been standing, staring at the heart-shaped balloons. It also made him aware of the slight dampness in his eyes and the lump in his throat.

Taking advantage of the fact that Eddie couldn’t see him, he cleared his throat and blinked away any threatening tears. The image of the future tucked into place deep in his heart. Maybe he’d share it with Eddie one day.

“He down?” Buck said, turning around to face him. He was now clad in regular night clothes, the jeans probably sticking to him after the long day.

“Like a light. The day tired him out.” Eddie came closer, freely wrapping his arms around Buck’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder. Buck’s arms came up to his back as the two swayed in place. Now that they were in their own home, they could stand to be as affectionate as they wanted to be.

“Hmm, same here.” Buck pulled back from him as Eddie’s hands dragged along the sides of his torso, his pulse quickening at the rough feel of his skin even through his shirt. “Think I’m going to take a page out of your book and get changed. Do you mind if we lay here for a bit?”

“If I could help it, I’d stay here forever,” Eddie mumbled, plopping down on the mattress. “While you do that, darling, I’m about to have another slice of that delicious cake. Where’d it go?”

“Back in the cooler,” Buck laughed and shook his head, walking back into the house.

It was freeing to change into a pair of basketball shorts and one of Eddie’s faded Army shirts. He walked back out to see Eddie smiling at his phone, sitting cross-legged with a plate of cake in his lap.

Naturally, Buck had to lie down with his head in his boyfriend’s lap, undeterred by the possibility of getting chocolate in his hair. Eddie turned his phone downwards to show Buck the picture of him and Chris looking like two spies. Buck laughed out loud, lifting a finger to swipe through.

In turn, he showed Eddie the pictures of Christopher planning, the other man laughing loudly at the sight. “He’s got my concentration face.”

“This was a good day. I’m glad we did this.” 

Eddie leaned down to kiss him, tasting of strawberry and chocolate and _Eddie_. Buck smiled, cupping the back of his boyfriend’s head, deepening the kiss to lazily lick into his mouth. Eddie traced the seam of his lips with the tip of his tongue, nipping lightly at his bottom lip to get him to open.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he whispered. Eddie only smirked at him, setting the plate aside so they could lay down together, snuggling into the thousand pillows and blankets.

“Who said I’m not going to finish?” Oh and did Buck _wish_ Eddie could make good on that promise, but he could feel bone-deep exhaustion creeping in slowly from the day’s events and the dregs of his shift.

“The fact that both of us have slept probably only a maximum of three hours in the past 36 hours.”

“Okay, you’re right,” Eddie conceded gallantly. He peered around at their ambient bubble of intimacy, smiling tenderly. “You know, this might be my favourite part of today. Just being here with you.”

“Sweet-talker.”

The night was still around them, bringing with it an insistent need for comfortable silence. Wrapped up in his boyfriend’s arms, Buck relaxed, smiling as Eddie began tracing the four large letters of ‘Diaz’ on his back, an inherent reverence in each touch. 

His bliss faltered a little as a thought came back to his mind, his gut twisting uncomfortably as the question that had kept on haunting him throughout the day made its way to the forefront of everything. So when he spoke, it was in a barely-there whisper, ghosted across Eddie’s chest

“Did you...enjoy today? You-you had fun, right? It wasn’t too much or-or not enough? Because I promise I’ll-” 

“ _Evan_.” Buck immediately stopped talking at the insistent tone Eddie took, his warm palm moving up to the nape of his neck to tilt his head upwards as strong fingers played with the barely-there strands. “Remember what I told you before?” 

Buck nodded, repeating the words when Eddie raised an expectant brow. “It’ll never be a competition.”

“If it was, you would’ve won by a long-shot. All of this, the flowers, the picnic...I didn’t do any of it.” He gestured around the backyard to accentuate his point but immediately Buck propped himself up on one elbow (as best as he could on an air mattress) to glare down at him.

“No. Stop that track of thinking, right now.” He knew his boyfriend; Eddie would overthink himself into a bunch of knots about it. “If I’m not allowed to, neither are you. I just couldn’t decide what to do, so...it got a little out of hand.”

“I love you, so fucking much,” Eddie declared before kissing him again. Buck made a guttural sound at the back of his throat before shifting so he was hovering over Eddie, his weight pressing the older man further into the mattress. He could never tire of kissing Eddie Diaz, would probably do it for every second for the rest of his life if he could.

“Thank you for including Christopher today,” Eddie whispered against his mouth. Buck pinched his waist in admonishment, settling back down on his side and facing his boyfriend who also turned so they were looking at each other. 

“I had a feeling that your idea of a perfect date would always include him, and you should’ve seen his excitement when he got to know what I was trying to do,” he smiled, recalling the barely-restrained hyperactive energy and excitement as he traced the lines of Eddie’s face with his gaze. “He makes me happy, too. There’s nowhere I’d rather him be.” 

“If you had to choose who made you happier?” The question made him startle in place, teasingly asked as it was. Still, Buck took it seriously, striving to give _some_ sort of an answer even as he looked away from Eddie as he did it.

“That’s not fair but probably Christopher by 1%.” He risked a glance at his boyfriend, who was staring at him softly. 

“I can live with that.” He leaned forward to kiss him gently again, but as the familiar electric charge sparked between them, Buck pulled back slowly, needing to clarify something before things got too heated. He chuckled as Eddie whined at the loss of contact, pushing him back gently as he leaned in again. 

“I...I know that I always say that Christopher is _everything_ , and he is. He absolutely is,” Buck said quickly, afraid of Eddie taking it the wrong way but his boyfriend’s expression only softened, placing his hand over his in the minuscule space between them and waiting for him to continue. “You two express your love in different ways, and I also love you both. _So_ much. But the love I feel for you is...different, than it is with Christopher,” Buck said, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he tried to word this the best way he could. 

Words were sometimes hard, especially at times like these where Buck could physically _feel_ every single emotion surging up and almost spilling over from how much there was. There were only so many words in the world, and it was _beyond_ difficult to find ones that could possibly match up to what he _felt_. 

“Christopher is your kid, _our_ kid.” Buck rolled his eyes when Eddie was about to interject, correcting his words quickly and smiled as he looked satisfied with the correction. “And the love I feel for him is like...like a bundle of warmth - a ball of blazing fire, where we protect and take care of each other, a love where I am willing to give everything I have so he can have the best life. To fuel that fire in an everlasting flame. I’ve loved him before I even entertained the idea of _liking_ you. And my love for him will always, always be independent of the love I have for you.” Buck could see Eddie’s eyes already welling up in emotion, and he hadn’t even gotten to _him_ yet. 

“It’s different, with you,” Buck said quietly, squeezing their interlocked hands tightly. “It’s _different_ , and not in the sense that I have less to give, but the fact that there’s _so much more_ to give. That I trust you to take on some of the load, to trust _me_ to take on some of _your_ load, and we _share_ the weight of it all, so it doesn’t get overbearing. The way neither of us are used to,” Buck murmured, blinking rapidly to stop the tears from escaping. 

“The love I feel for you is different from a bundle of warmth. It’s kind of like...an umbrella?” Buck couldn’t help chuckling a little at how ridiculous the metaphor sounded, seeing Eddie’s shoulders shaking slightly in faint amusement as well. It was mundane to compare a household object to what he felt for the Diaz boys, but here they were.

“You’re Christopher’s father, and that means you will stop at nothing to give your son everything that you have,” Buck said surely, knowing that it was a pure and simple _fact_ . “ _I love you_ , which means I will do everything I can to make sure you can give Chris your all, and protect you from burning out at the same time.” Buck smiled, laughing a little as he imagined Christopher as a ball of fire as Eddie tended to that flame, with Buck hovering over them as a makeshift umbrella. 

“Chris is an integral part of you, of _us_ , and loving either of you will always encompass _both_ , even if they’re independent parts of me.” He felt so exposed out here, as if the sky was painted with his quiet confession for everyone to read. The grounding look in Eddie’s eye kept him anchored, though, so Buck continued with initial metaphor. “An umbrella...has your back. You can choose how to use it to help you in the best way possible, to stop yourself from getting drenched with everything life throws your way. You can shake off the bad days.”

“My point is...Eddie, I’m always going to be here. I wanted this date to show that, but didn’t want it to get so heavy.” He chuckled as Eddie’s thumb grazed his knuckles. Buck knew that Eddie still had fears about him staying, afraid that he would get tired and leave, the less pleasant l-word leaving a bitter taste on his tongue. 

He needed him to know that although umbrellas could bend and break, they also fought like hell to withstand anything that came their way. 

“We’re learning to _share_ each other’s lives - lives that have come together to create our own definition of love to _protect_ our bundle of warmth, to protect _ourselves_ from feeling lonely or abandoned again. And...and I-I know that what I just said in no way encompasses just how much I love you both, but I just - when you asked who makes me happier earlier I-” Buck trailed off, shaking his head slightly to find the right words again. He’d said so many but somehow, he still felt like he was falling short.

“The way I’ve always seen you is as the glue that holds Chris and I together, and the missing puzzle piece we’ve always been looking for, even when we didn’t know it. I’ve been alone even when I wasn’t and suddenly, there you were, letting me into that huge heart of yours. I don’t know how to show you how much I value it. Love doesn’t feel like enough for what I feel for you,” Eddie whispered, untangling their fingers to trace the corner of Buck’s mouth. “It’s scary, that _one month_ can make me feel like this but...here we are.”

Buck had tears streaking across the bridge of his nose and side of his eye unabashedly now. He wiped them hurriedly and scooted closer to Eddie to throw a leg across his hip and pull the man impossibly close. “Christopher makes me happy, Eddie, makes _us_ happy. But the amount of joy that encompasses my life now isn’t purely from Chris. Without you tending to that flame, without _us_ fueling it, there would be no flame at all, and I would have nothing left. So when you say it’s terrifying to feel this much so soon, I get it.”

They kept exchanging small kisses and words of love as they laid there, under the stars, tracing the other’s skin. One of Buck’s fingers dipped under the hem of Eddie’s T-shirt to rest on his hip, the skin warm and pliant.

“I love you,” Eddie mumbled, hooking an arm around Buck’s neck.

“I love you, too,” Buck whispered, nuzzling the tip of his nose against Eddie’s as they slotted together.

Later, when Buck found the courage to do so, he’d tell Eddie about his vision, of the excitement that came with the prospect of expanding their family with him. He’d tell Eddie that he wanted this forever, that the thought of a ring on his finger didn’t scare him anymore.

But for now, this was peace. 

This was _enough_.

* * *

**Here's a picture of Eddie's hair in the morning, love y'all <3**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and for all the love for this series. Comments and Kudos are more than welcome :D Bonus points for everyone that gets the references in this xD
> 
> When the Buckley-Diaz family is walking through the arboretum, Buck says ‘Ji bang?!’ Just to clarify what it means in case y’all are wondering, he’s yelling ‘how many pounds?’ as if he’s selling meat. 
> 
> Title is a quote that comes from _Clockwork Princess_ by Cassandra Clare and it is _more than_ fitting for these two disasters.
> 
> Catch us on Tumblr at [@zeethebooknerd]() and [@ao3theskyisblue](https://ao3theskyisblue.tumblr.com)


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